U.S. patent application number 15/866898 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-12 for systems and methods for facilitating delivery of products ordered over the internet to customers from product stocking facilities.
The applicant listed for this patent is Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael D. Atchley, Robert L. Cantrell, Donald R. High, Todd D. Mattingly.
Application Number | 20180197137 15/866898 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62783182 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180197137 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
High; Donald R. ; et
al. |
July 12, 2018 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING DELIVERY OF PRODUCTS ORDERED
OVER THE INTERNET TO CUSTOMERS FROM PRODUCT STOCKING FACILITIES
Abstract
In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for
facilitating delivery of products purchased over the internet by
the customers to the customers from a selected product stocking
facility of the retailer. The products can be delivered to the
customer from the selected product stocking facility of the
retailer via a worker of the product stocking facility or an
unmanned delivery vehicle.
Inventors: |
High; Donald R.; (Noel,
MO) ; Cantrell; Robert L.; (Herndon, VA) ;
Atchley; Michael D.; (Springdale, AR) ; Mattingly;
Todd D.; (Bentonville, AR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
Bentonville |
AR |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62783182 |
Appl. No.: |
15/866898 |
Filed: |
January 10, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62445103 |
Jan 11, 2017 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B64C 2201/128 20130101;
G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G06Q 10/0832 20130101; G06Q 10/087 20130101;
B64C 39/024 20130101; G06Q 30/0202 20130101; G06Q 30/0639 20130101;
G06Q 50/12 20130101; H04W 4/35 20180201; G06Q 10/06 20130101; G06Q
50/28 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08; G06Q 30/06 20060101 G06Q030/06; G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02; H04W 4/35 20060101 H04W004/35; B64C 39/02 20060101
B64C039/02 |
Claims
1. A system for facilitating delivery to customers of products
purchased by the customers from a retailer via internet-based
orders, the system comprising: an order processing server
configured to process an internet-based order for at least one
product placed by a customer from the retailer; an electronic
database storing inventory management data including: data
indicating geographic locations of a plurality of retail stores and
product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least one
product is stocked, on-hand inventory at the retail stores and the
product stocking facilities where the at least one product is
stocked, size and weight information associated with the at least
one product ordered by the customer, and a time frame within which
the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer; data
indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of workers at the
retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the
retailer, geographic locations and pending tasks of unmanned
delivery vehicles, and size and weight information associated with
vehicles of the workers and with the unmanned delivery vehicles,
the workers and the unmanned delivery vehicles available to deliver
the at least one product to the customer from the retail stores and
the product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least
one product is stocked; and a computing device in communication
with the order processing server and electronic database, the
computing device including a processor-based control circuit and
configured to: obtain the inventory management data from at least
one of: sensors associated with retail stores, sensors associated
with the product stocking facilities, sensors associated with the
vehicles of the workers, sensors associated with the unmanned
delivery vehicles, and the electronic database; and, based on the
obtained inventory management data to: generate a list of the
unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the retail stores and
at the product stocking facilities of the retailer that are capable
of delivering the at least one product to the customer within the
time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered
to the customer; determine a delivery risk associated with
delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time
frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the
workers on the generated list; determine a cost of delivering the
at least one product to the customer within the time frame via each
of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the workers on the
generated list; select, from the plurality of the retail stores and
the product stocking facilities of the retailer stored in the
electronic database, a retail store or a product stocking facility
of the retailer associated with a lowest delivery risk and a lowest
delivery cost as the retail store or the product stocking facility
from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer;
select, from the available workers and unmanned delivery vehicles
indicated by the electronic database, a worker or unmanned delivery
vehicle associated with the lowest delivery risk and the lowest
delivery cost as the worker or unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver
the at least one product to the customer from the selected retail
store or the selected product stocking facility; and transmit an
electronic notification to the selected worker or unmanned delivery
vehicle, the electronic notification indicating a delivery address
of the customer.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the product stocking facilities
of the retailer include at least one of: a distribution center of
the retailer, a fulfillment center of the retailer, and a mobile
storage station of the retailer.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit of the
computing device is configured to analyze at least one of the
following additional factors based on the obtained inventory
management data in order to select the retail store or the product
stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product:
pending internet-based product orders being processed by the
retailer; and delivery restrictions associated with the customer
who purchased the at least one product from the retailer via the
internet-based order.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit of the
computing device is configured to preferentially select the product
stocking facilities over the retail stores during a selection, by
the control circuit of the computing device, of the retailer store
or the product stocking facility of the retailer from which to
deliver the at least one product to the customer.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control circuit of the
computing device is configured to select the retail store of the
retailer instead of the product stocking facility of the retailer
upon a determination, by the control circuit of the computing
device, that delivery of the at least one product from the selected
retail store of the retailer is cheaper for the retailer than
delivery of the at least one product from any of the product
stocking facilities of the retailer.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein, after the control circuit of the
computing device selects one of the retail stores of the retailer
instead one of the product stocking facilities of the retailer as a
facility of the retailer from which the at least one product is to
be delivered, the control circuit of the computing device is
configured to preferentially select to pick the at least one
product from a stock room of the retail store of the retailer
instead of from a shelf on a sales floor of the retail store of the
retailer.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the order processing server is
configured to permit the customer to select an option requiring
that delivery of the at least one product is to be from a retail
store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer after
processing a delivery surcharge for delivering the at least one
product from the retail store of the retailer geographically
closest to the customer.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic notification
further indicates a time frame within which the at least one
product is to be delivered to the customer.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic database further
comprises customer demand forecast data associated with products
stocked at the retail stores of the retailer and the product
stocking facilities of the retailer.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control circuit of the
computing device is configured to obtain the customer demand
forecast data from the electronic database and to allocate the
products between the retail stores of the retailer and the product
stocking facilities of the retailer based on the customer demand
forecast data obtained from the electronic database.
11. A method for facilitating delivery to customers of products
purchased by the customers from a retailer via internet-based
orders, the method comprising: providing an order processing server
configured to process an internet-based order for at least one
product placed by a customer from the retailer; providing an
electronic database storing inventory management data including:
data indicating geographic locations of a plurality of retail
stores and product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at
least one product is stocked, on-hand inventory at the retail
stores and the product stocking facilities where the at least one
product is stocked, size and weight information associated with the
at least one product ordered by the customer, and a time frame
within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the
customer; data indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of
workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities
of the retailer, geographic locations and pending tasks of unmanned
delivery vehicles, and size and weight information associated with
vehicles of the workers and with the unmanned delivery vehicles,
the workers and the unmanned delivery vehicles available to deliver
the at least one product to the customer from the retail stores and
the product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least
one product is stocked; and providing a computing device in
communication with the order processing server and electronic
database, the computing device including a processor-based control
circuit and configured to: obtain the inventory management data
from at least one of: sensors associated with retail stores,
sensors associated with the product stocking facilities, sensors
associated with the vehicles of the workers, sensors associated
with the unmanned delivery vehicles, and the electronic database;
and, based on the obtained inventory management data to: generate a
list of the unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the
retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the
retailer that are capable of delivering the at least one product to
the customer within the time frame within which the at least one
product is to be delivered to the customer; determine a delivery
risk associated with delivering the at least one product to the
customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery
vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; determine a
cost of delivering the at least one product to the customer within
the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each
of the workers on the generated list; select, from the plurality of
the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the
retailer stored in the electronic database, a retail store or a
product stocking facility of the retailer associated with a lowest
delivery risk and a lowest delivery cost as the retail store or the
product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one
product to the customer; select, from the available workers and
unmanned delivery vehicles indicated by the electronic database, a
worker or unmanned delivery vehicle associated with the lowest
delivery risk and the lowest delivery cost as the worker or
unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver the at least one product to
the customer from the selected retail store or the selected product
stocking facility; and transmit an electronic notification to the
selected worker or unmanned delivery vehicle, the electronic
notification indicating a delivery address of the customer.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the product stocking facilities
of the retailer include at least one of: a distribution center of
the retailer, a fulfillment center of the retailer, and a mobile
storage station of the retailer.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing, via the
control circuit of the computing device, at least one of the
following additional factors based on the obtained inventory
management data in order to select the retail store or the product
stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product:
pending internet-based product orders being processed by the
retailer; and delivery restrictions associated with the customer
who purchased the at least one product from the retailer via the
internet-based order.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising preferentially
selecting, via the control circuit of the computing device, the
product stocking facilities over the retail stores during a
selection, by the control circuit of the computing device, of the
retailer store or the product stocking facility of the retailer
from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising selecting, via the
control circuit of the computing device, the retail store of the
retailer instead of the product stocking facility of the retailer
upon a determination, by the control circuit of the computing
device, that delivery of the at least one product from the selected
retail store of the retailer is cheaper for the retailer than
delivery of the at least one product from any of the product
stocking facilities of the retailer.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising preferentially
selecting, via the control circuit of the computing device and
after the computing device selects one of the retail stores of the
retailer instead of one of the product stocking facilities of the
retailer as a facility of the retailer from which the at least one
product is to be delivered, to pick the at least one product from a
stock room of the retail store of the retailer instead of from a
shelf on a sales floor of the retail store of the retailer.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising permitting, via the
order processing server, the customer to select an option requiring
that delivery of the at least one product is to be from a retail
store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer and
processing a delivery surcharge for delivering the at least one
product from the retail store of the retailer geographically
closest to the customer.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic notification
further indicates a time frame within which the at least one
product is to be delivered to the customer.
19. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing, on the
electronic database, customer demand forecast data associated with
products stocked at the retail stores of the retailer and the
product stocking facilities of the retailer.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising obtaining, via the
control circuit of the computing device, the customer demand
forecast data from the electronic database, and allocating the
products between the retail stores of the retailer and the product
stocking facilities of the retailer based on the customer demand
forecast data obtained from the electronic database.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/445,103, filed Jan. 11, 2017, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates generally to facilitating delivery of
products to customers and, in particular, to facilitating delivery
of internet-ordered products to the customers from product stocking
facilities of the retailers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Customers often purchase products from retailers over the
internet. Retail stores stock products on the sales floor for
display to in-store customers and offer products on their web sites
to online customers, often fulfilling the online orders by picking
products from the stock room and/or the sales floor of the retail
store. In the meantime, in-store customers buy products on the
sales floor or a retail store and, in response to such sales,
products are moved from the stock room of the store to the sales
floor of the retail store to replenish the stock of the products on
the sales floor. Combining in-store and online sales is associated
with certain inefficiencies arising when inventory is stocked in
one place for one purpose (e.g., on sales floor display) and then
repositioned to fill another purpose (e.g., fulfill an
online-placed order). For example, if a worker at a retail store
places a product picked from the stock room onto a shelf on the
sales floor of the retail store and then retrieves that same
product from the shelf on the sales floor to fulfill an online
order, the cost to have that product moved to the sales floor shelf
and to move that product from the shelf and to again replenish the
shelf is wasted. Such inefficiencies can add up, lowering profit
margins for the retailers and/or requiring higher prices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses,
methods, and systems pertaining to product purchases made by the
customers over the internet and to delivering such products to the
customers from product stocking facilities of the retailer via a
worker of a product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery
vehicle. This description includes drawings, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system of facilitating delivery of
products purchased by the customers over the internet from product
stocking facilities of the retailer via a worker of a product
stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle in accordance
with some embodiments;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of an exemplary computing
device usable with the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with some
embodiments; and
[0007] FIG. 3 is a flow chart diagram of facilitating delivery of
products purchased by the customers over the internet from product
stocking facilities o the retailer via a worker of a product
stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle in accordance
with some embodiments; and
[0008] FIG. 4 is another flow chart diagram depicting the
facilitating of delivery of products purchased by the customers
over the internet from product stocking facilities of the retailer
via a worker of a product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery
vehicle in accordance with some embodiments.
[0009] Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and
clarity and have not been drawn to scale. For example, the
dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in
the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help
to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present
invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are
useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often
not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these
various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions
and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of
occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such
specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The
terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical
meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons
skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where
different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth
herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The following description is not to be taken in a limiting
sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general
principles of exemplary embodiments. Reference throughout this
specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar
language means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,
appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment,"
and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not
necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0011] Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems
and methods are provided for facilitating delivery of products
purchased by the customers over the internet from product stocking
facilities of the retailer. The products can be delivered from the
product stocking facility of the retailer via a worker of a product
stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle. In some aspects,
on-line order fulfillment takes place at a product stocking
facility such as a fulfillment center or distribution center. As
such, rather than take products that have been inventoried or
shelved for in-store shoppers, products can be picked and/or
aggregated at product stocking facilities separate from the retail
store and delivered to the online shoppers from such product
stocking facilities. The products can be delivered from the product
stocking facilities to the customers by workers of such product
stocking facilities or by unmanned delivery vehicles. Notably, the
systems and methods described herein do not preclude filling online
orders using products in stock (e.g., on the sales floor or in
stock room) at a retail store when such fulfillment is calculated
to be most efficient or necessary to meet service-level
commitments.
[0012] In some embodiments, a system for facilitating delivery to
customers of products purchased by the customers from a retailer
via internet-based orders comprises an order processing server
configured to process an internet-based order for at least one
product placed by a customer from the retailer and an electronic
database storing inventory management data. The inventory
management data includes: data indicating geographic locations of a
plurality of retail stores and product stocking facilities of the
retailer where the at least one product is stocked, on-hand
inventory at the retail stores and the product stocking facilities
where the at least one product is stocked, size and weight
information associated with the at least one product ordered by the
customer, and a time frame within which the at least one product is
to be delivered to the customer; data indicating geographic
locations and pending tasks of workers at the retail stores and at
the product stocking facilities of the retailer, geographic
locations and pending tasks of unmanned delivery vehicles, and size
and weight information associated with vehicles of the workers and
with the unmanned delivery vehicles, the workers and the unmanned
delivery vehicles available to deliver the at least one product to
the customer from the retail stores and the product stocking
facilities of the retailer where the at least one product is
stocked. The system further includes a computing device in
communication with the order processing server and electronic
database. The computing device including a processor-based control
circuit and configured to: obtain the inventory management data
from at least one of: sensors associated with retail stores,
sensors associated with the product stocking facilities, sensors
associated with the vehicles of the workers, sensors associated
with the unmanned delivery vehicles, and the electronic database
and, based on the obtained inventory management data to: generate a
list of the unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the
retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the
retailer that are capable of delivering the at least one product to
the customer within the time frame within which the at least one
product is to be delivered to the customer; determine a delivery
risk associated with delivering the at least one product to the
customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery
vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; determine a
cost of delivering the at least one product to the customer within
the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each
of the workers on the generated list; select, from the plurality of
the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the
retailer stored in the electronic database, a retail store or a
product stocking facility of the retailer associated with a lowest
delivery risk and a lowest delivery cost as the retail store or the
product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one
product to the customer; select, from the available workers and
unmanned delivery vehicles indicated by the electronic database, a
worker or unmanned delivery vehicle associated with the lowest
delivery risk and the lowest delivery cost as the worker or
unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver the at least one product to
the customer from the selected retail store or the selected product
stocking facility; and transmit an electronic notification to the
selected worker or unmanned delivery vehicle, the electronic
notification indicating a delivery address of the customer.
[0013] In other embodiments, a method for facilitating delivery to
customers of products purchased by the customers from a retailer
via internet-based orders comprises: providing an order processing
server configured to process an internet-based order for at least
one product placed by a customer from the retailer; providing an
electronic database storing inventory management data including:
data indicating geographic locations of a plurality of retail
stores and product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at
least one product is stocked, on-hand inventory at the retail
stores and the product stocking facilities where the at least one
product is stocked, size and weight information associated with the
at least one product ordered by the customer, and a time frame
within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the
customer; data indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of
workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities
of the retailer, geographic locations and pending tasks of unmanned
delivery vehicles, and size and weight information associated with
vehicles of the workers and with the unmanned delivery vehicles,
the workers and the unmanned delivery vehicles available to deliver
the at least one product to the customer from the retail stores and
the product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least
one product is stocked; and providing a computing device in
communication with the order processing server and electronic
database, the computing device including a processor-based control
circuit and configured to: obtain the inventory management data
from at least one of: sensors associated with retail stores,
sensors associated with the product stocking facilities, sensors
associated with the vehicles of the workers, sensors associated
with the unmanned delivery vehicles, and the electronic database
and, based on the obtained inventory management data to: generate a
list of the unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the
retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the
retailer that are capable of delivering the at least one product to
the customer within the time frame within which the at least one
product is to be delivered to the customer; determine a delivery
risk associated with delivering the at least one product to the
customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery
vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; determine a
cost of delivering the at least one product to the customer within
the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each
of the workers on the generated list; select, from the plurality of
the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the
retailer stored in the electronic database, a retail store or a
product stocking facility of the retailer associated with a lowest
delivery risk and a lowest delivery cost as the retail store or the
product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one
product to the customer; select, from the available workers and
unmanned delivery vehicles indicated by the electronic database, a
worker or unmanned delivery vehicle associated with the lowest
delivery risk and the lowest delivery cost as the worker or
unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver the at least one product to
the customer from the selected retail store or the selected product
stocking facility; and transmit an electronic notification to the
selected worker or unmanned delivery vehicle, the electronic
notification indicating a delivery address of the customer.
[0014] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a system 100 for facilitating
delivery of products 190 purchased by customers over an
internet-based network to the customers from a product stocking
facility 170 or retail store 160 of the retailer. The product
stocking facility 170 can include but is not limited to a
distribution center of the retailer, a fulfillment center of the
retailer, or a mobile storage station of the retailer where
products 190 offered for sale to online customers can be stocked.
The retailer may be any entity operating as a brick-and-mortar
physical location and/or a website accessible, for example, via the
internet or another network, by way of which products 190 may be
ordered by a customer. A customer may be an individual or business
entity. Exemplary products 190 that may be ordered by the customer
via the system 100 may include, but are not limited to,
general-purpose consumer goods, as well as consumable products,
such as medications, food items, and dietary supplements.
[0015] The exemplary system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 includes an
order processing server 130 of the retailer configured to process
an internet-based order for one or more products 190 placed by a
customer of the retailer. The order processing server 130 may be
implemented as one server at one location, or as multiple
interconnected servers stored at multiple locations operated by or
for the retailer. As described in more detail below, the order
processing server 130 may communicate with one or more electronic
devices of system 100 via a network 125. The network 125 may be a
wide-area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a personal
area network (PAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or any
other internet or intranet network, or combinations of such
networks. Generally, communication between various electronic
devices of system 100 may take place over hard-wired, cellular,
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth networked components or the like. In some
embodiments, one or more electronic devices of system 100 may
include cloud-based features, such as cloud-based memory
storage.
[0016] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the order processing server 130
is coupled to an electronic database 140. In some embodiments, the
electronic database 140 may be configured to store information
associated with a customer of the retailer who orders products 190
from the retailer. In some embodiments, the electronic database 140
may store the customer's personal information, product order
history, pending order status, product order options, as well as
product delivery and/or pick-up options (which may be entered into
the electronic database 140 as described in more detail below). The
electronic database 140 may be stored, for example, on non-volatile
storage media (e.g., a hard drive, flash drive, or removable
optical disk) internal or external to the order processing server
130, or internal or external to computing devices separate and
distinct from the order processing server 130. It will be
appreciated that the electronic database 140 may likewise be
cloud-based. In some embodiments, the order processing server 130
may be also coupled to a separate electronic database configured to
store information associated with the inventory of products 190
available to the customer for purchase from the retailer and
stocked at retail stores 160 of the retailer and/or product
stocking facilities 170 of the retailer. In other words, while the
order processing server 130 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being
coupled to one electronic database 140, it will be appreciated that
the order processing server 130 may be coupled to two or more
electronic databases configured to store customer information
and/or product inventory information.
[0017] In some embodiments, inventory management data stored on the
electronic database 140 includes data indicating geographic
locations of the of retail stores 160 and product stocking
facilities 170 of the retailer where one or more products 190
ordered by the customer are stocked. In one aspect, the inventory
management data stored on the electronic database 140 includes data
indicating the on-hand inventory at the retail stores 160 and the
product stocking facilities 170 where the product(s) 190 ordered by
the customer is/are stocked. In some embodiments, the electronic
database 140 also includes size and weight information associated
with one or more products 190 ordered by the customer 190, and a
time frame (e.g., same day, 2 days, etc.) within which the
product(s) 190 is/are to be delivered to the customer. In addition,
in some embodiments, the electronic database 140 includes data
indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of workers 172 of
the retail stores 160 and product stocking facilities 170, size and
weight information associated with vehicles (e.g., company cars,
personal cars, etc.) of the workers 172 and with the unmanned
delivery vehicles 174, as well as geographic locations and pending
tasks of unmanned delivery vehicles 174 implemented for delivering
products from retail stores 160 and product stocking facilities
170. In some aspects, the electronic database 140 further includes
data indicating a listing of workers 172 and unmanned delivery
vehicles 174 available to deliver the product(s) 190 ordered by the
customer from either one or more retail stores 160 and/or product
stocking facilities 170 where such product(s) 190 is/are
stocked.
[0018] In one aspect, the electronic database 140 includes customer
demand forecast data associated with the products 190 stocked at
the retail stores 160 of the retailer and the product stocking
facilities 170. For example, in some aspects, the system 100
includes automated inventory forecasting tools (which may be
incorporated into the central computing device 150 or implemented
via separate computing devices) that that take into account the
separation of online order fulfillment and in-store purchase
fulfillment, and allocate products 190 to retail stores 160 and
product stocking facilities 170 to accommodate anticipated consumer
demand and ensure that the retail stores 160 and product stocking
facilities 170 have sufficient quantities of product on-hand for
in-store customers and online deliveries. For example, such
forecasting tools can result in inventory dedicated to fill online
sales to be added to the product stocking facilities 170, such that
there is less need to draw inventory from shelves on the sales
floor of the retail store 160.
[0019] In some embodiments, when a customer initially sets up an
online account with the retailer, for example, using a customer
computing device 120, the system 100 (i.e., order processing server
130 or another server on the system 100 dedicated to new customer
sign-up) is configured to permit the customer to generate a
customer profile including personal information of the customer
(e.g., name, address, phone number, and the like), payment methods
(e.g., credit card information), as well as product delivery
settings of the customer (e.g., authorizing delivery of the
products 190 via a worker 172 of a retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 and/or authorizing delivery of the products
190 by an unmanned delivery vehicle 174). The customer may select
new options and/or update previously selected options at any time
after setting up the account with the retailer. In some
embodiments, the personal information of the customer and any
product pick up-related options selected by the customer are stored
in the electronic database 140 for subsequent retrieval by the
order processing server 130 and/or by a central computing device
150 (e.g., in response to a login request or product order
placement by the customer).
[0020] In some embodiments, as the customer is connecting to the
retailer's website (e.g., via a login interface) using the customer
computing device 120, the order processing server 130 may request a
verification of the identity (e.g., username/password) of the
customer. The order processing server 130 may first verify the
identity of the customer (e.g., by comparing the username/password
data entered by the customer into the login interface against
username/password data in the profile of the customer stored in the
electronic database 140. The order processing server 130 may then
associate the customer profile with the identity of the customer,
retrieve the customer profile from the electronic database 140
based on information stored in the profile, and send the retrieved
customer account information to the customer computing device 120,
which includes a graphical interface 122 (described in more detail
below) that permits the customer to customize various options
relating to the ordering of products 190 from the retailer and/or
relating to delivery options for the products 190 to the
customer.
[0021] The customer may access the order processing server 130 of
the retailer via a customer computing device 120, which may be a
stationary, portable, and/or hand-held electronic device, for
example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile
phone, or any other electronic, processor-based device that may be
configured for data entry and communication with the order
processing server 130. In some embodiments, the customer may access
the order processing server 130 of the retailer via a graphical
interface 122 displayed to the customer on the customer computing
device 120. The graphical interface 122 may include one or more
graphical input fields 124 in the form of menu options and/or
sub-interfaces that permit the customer to place an order for one
or more products 190 and to select a delivery location 180 for one
or more products 190 ordered by the customer. In some embodiments,
the graphical interface 122 may be a retailer-associated mobile
application (app) installed on the customer computing device 120
and configured to display various above-described menu options,
notifications, and/or alerts for the customer. For example,
electronic alerts may be transmitted to the customer computing
device 120 from the central computing device 150 and/or from the
order processing server 130 and displayed on the customer computing
device 120 via the graphical interface 122.
[0022] In some embodiments, after placing an on order for one or
more products 190 via the order processing server 130 using the
graphical interface 122 of the customer computing device 120, the
customer does not elect to pick up the ordered products 190 at the
retail store 160, but selects an option to have the ordered
products 190 delivered to the customer. In some embodiments, the
order processing server 130 permits the customer to select an
option requiring delivery of the products 190 ordered by the
customer from the specific facility (i.e., specific retail store or
specific product stocking facility 170). For example, the order
processing server 130 can be configured to permit the customer to
elect an option requiring that delivery of the product 190 to be
from the retail store 160 (not the product stocking facility 170)
geographically closest to the delivery location 180 designated by
the customer. In one aspect, such a manual election by the customer
of the precise facility from which the product 190 ordered by the
customer is delivered to the delivery location 180 designated by
the customer is associated with a delivery surcharge payable by the
customer via the order processing server 130.
[0023] In some aspects, the order processing server 130 is
configured to receive and process an order by the customer for a
product 190 from the customer computing device 120, to receive and
process payment for the product 190 from the customer, and to
transmit the customer's election having the product delivered to
the customer based on the processed order (e.g., via the network
125) to a central computing device 150 that is configured for
communication with the order processing server 130 and electronic
database 140, as well as with the retail store 160 and product
stocking facility 170 of the retailer associated with a geographic
location of the customer. It will be appreciated that while the
order processing server 130 and the central computing device 150
may be located at separate physical locations (e.g., regional data
center, central data center, or the like), the system 100, in some
embodiments, may be confined to a single facility of the
retailer.
[0024] The central computing device 150 may be a stationary or
portable electronic device, for example, a desktop computer, a
laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any other electronic
device including a processor-based control circuit (i.e., control
unit). In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the central computing device
150 is configured for data entry and processing as well as for
communication with other devices of system 100 via the network 125
which, as described above, may be a wide-area network (WAN), a
local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless
local area network (WLAN), or any other internet or intranet
network, or combinations of such networks.
[0025] With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary central computing
device 150 configured for use with exemplary systems and methods
described herein may include a control circuit or control unit 210
including a processor (for example, a microprocessor or a
microcontroller) electrically coupled via a connection 215 to a
memory 220 and via a connection 225 to a power supply 230. The
control unit 210 can comprise a fixed-purpose hard-wired platform
or can comprise a partially or wholly programmable platform, such
as a microcontroller, an application specification integrated
circuit, a field programmable gate array, and so on. These
architectural options are well known and understood in the art and
require no further description here.
[0026] This control unit 210 can be configured (for example, by
using corresponding programming stored in the memory 220 as will be
well understood by those skilled in the art) to carry out one or
more of the steps, actions, and/or functions described herein. In
some embodiments, the memory 220 may be integral to the
processor-based control unit 210 or can be physically discrete (in
whole or in part) from the control unit 210 and is configured
non-transitorily store the computer instructions that, when
executed by the control unit 210, cause the control unit 210 to
behave as described herein. (As used herein, this reference to
"non-transitorily" will be understood to refer to a non-ephemeral
state for the stored contents (and hence excludes when the stored
contents merely constitute signals or waves) rather than volatility
of the storage media itself and hence includes both non-volatile
memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) as well as volatile memory
(such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM))).
Accordingly, the memory and/or the control unit may be referred to
as a non-transitory medium or non-transitory computer readable
medium.
[0027] The control unit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
also electrically coupled via a connection 235 to an input/output
240 that can receive signals from the order processing server 130
(e.g., data from the electronic database 140 relating to a product
order placed by the customer) or from any other source (e.g.,
computing device at the retail store 160, computing device at the
product stocking facility 170, electronic device of a worker 172,
unmanned delivery vehicle 174, etc.) that can communicate with the
central computing device 150 via a wired or wireless connection.
The input/output 240 of the central computing device 150 can also
send signals to the order processing server 130 (e.g., data
including product out-of-stock information regarding the product
for which an order is placed by the customer via the order
processing server 130, data indicating that the products 190
ordered by the customer have been successfully delivered to the
customer, etc.), or to any other electronic device in wired or
wireless communication with the central computing device 150.
[0028] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the processor-based
control unit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
electrically coupled via a connection 245 to a user interface 250,
which may include a visual display or display screen 260 (e.g., LED
screen) and/or button input 270 that provide the user interface 250
with the ability to permit an operator of the central computing
device 150 to manually control the central computing device 150 by
inputting commands via touch-screen and/or button operation and/or
voice commands to, for example, to select a retail store 160 or a
product stocking facility 170 from which to deliver the product 190
ordered by the customer to the delivery location 180 designated by
the customer, and/or to select a worker 172 or unmanned delivery
vehicle via which to deliver the product 190 ordered by the
customer to the delivery location 180 designated by the customer.
It will be appreciated that the performance of such functions by
the processor-based control unit 210 of the central computing
device 150 is not dependent on a human operator, and that the
control unit 210 may be programmed to perform such functions
without a human operator.
[0029] In some embodiments, the display screen 260 of central
computing device 150 is configured to display various graphical
interface-based menus, options, and/or alerts that may be
transmitted to the central computing device 150 and displayed on
the display screen 260 in connection with various aspects of the
order placed by the customer. The inputs 270 of the central
computing device 150 may be configured to permit an operator to
navigate through the on-screen menus on the central computing
device 150 and select which worker 172 and/or which unmanned
delivery vehicle 174 will deliver the products 190 ordered by the
customer to the customer. It will be appreciated that the display
screen 260 may be configured as both a display screen and an input
270 (e.g., a touch-screen that permits an operator to press on the
display screen 260 to enter text and/or execute commands.)
[0030] In some embodiments, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to obtain inventory management
data from the electronic database 140 via the network 125. In
certain implementations, based on the data obtained from the
electronic database 140, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to perform an analysis that
enables the control circuit 210 to arrive at a decision from which
retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170 and via which
worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 the product 190 will be
delivered to the customer. For example, in one embodiment, the
control circuit 210 is programmed to generate a list of the
unmanned delivery vehicles 174 and the workers 172 at the retail
stores 160 and at the product stocking facilities 170 of the
retailer that are capable of delivering the product 190 (e.g., by
having cargo space with sufficient size and weight parameters to
accommodate the product 190) to the customer within the time frame
within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the
customer (e.g., time specified by the customer when placing the
order). In one embodiment, based on the data obtained from the
electronic database 140, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to determine a cost (i.e.,
monetary cost) of delivering the product 190 to the customer within
the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles 174 and
each of the workers 172 on the generated list, then determine a
risk factor (e.g., likelihood of successful delivery, potential
liabilities, etc.) associated with delivering the product 190 to
the customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned
delivery vehicles 174 and each of the workers 172 on the generated
list, and to generate a combined cost-risk factor score for each of
the unmanned delivery vehicles 174 and each of the workers 172 on
the generated list. In some aspects, based on the inventory
management data obtained from the electronic database 140 and based
on ranking the generated combined cost-risk factor scores, the
control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
programmed to select, from the retail stores 160 and product
stocking facilities 170 of the retailer stored in the electronic
database 140, a retail store 160 or a product stocking facility 170
associated with a highest cost-risk factor score as the retail
store 160 or product stocking facility 170 from which to deliver
the customer-ordered product(s) 190 to the delivery location 180
designated by the customer. In one aspect, based on the inventory
management data obtained from the electronic database 140 and based
on ranking the generated combined cost-risk factor scores, the
central computing device 150 is configured to select, from the
available workers 172 and unmanned delivery vehicles 174 listed in
the electronic database 140, a worker 172 or unmanned delivery
vehicle 174 associated with the highest cost-risk factor score as
the worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 to deliver the
product 190 to the customer from the retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 selected by the central computing device
150.
[0031] An exemplary flow chart illustrating process flow 400 of
facilitating delivery to a customer of a product 190 purchased by
the customer from a retailer via an internet-based order is
depicted in FIG. 4. With reference to FIG. 4, first, an
internet-based order for one or more products 190 is placed by a
customer (step 410). For example, the product 190 is a pint of ice
cream, and the customer specifies that the product 190 is to be
delivered to a location specified by the customer within an hour,
which requires the control circuit 210 of the central computing
device to identify a vehicle having matching storage capacity,
storage conditions (i.e., freezer for ice cream), and is situated
such that it is capable of delivering the product 190 to the
customer within one hour to properly fulfill the order. In the
embodiment specified in FIG. 4, as an initial step in facilitating
delivery of the ice cream to the customer, the control circuit 210
of the central computing device 150 is programmed to run a first
filter through the electronic database 140-stored size and weight
information (i.e., conveyance capacity data) associated with the
vehicles (e.g., company cars, personal cars, etc.) of the workers
172 and associated with the unmanned delivery vehicles 174 (step
415) in order to identify the vehicles listed in the electronic
database 140 that meet the size and weight requirements for
delivering the product 190 ordered by the customer. For example,
after application of the first filter by the control circuit 210, a
list of available vehicles that meet the size and weight
requirements for delivering the pint of ice cream to the customer
may include: a Walmart truck, third-party logistics (3PL) truck,
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) truck, worker 172 (in his or her private
vehicle), crowd Source, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 174,
autonomous ground vehicle (AGV), and currier.
[0032] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, after obtaining the
first filter-based results, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to run a second filter through
the electronic database 140-stored special storage capabilities
(e.g., refrigeration, freezer, environmental controls, product
handling methods, security, etc.) associated with the first
filter-retrieved vehicles (step 420) in order to identify the
vehicles listed in the electronic database 140 that meet the
special requirements for delivering the ice cream ordered by the
customer. In this example, for instance, the second filter would
knock out 3PL trucks and USPS trucks because they will be
determined by the control circuit 210 to be too slow to keep the
ice cream from melting.
[0033] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the control
circuit 210 is also programmed to run a third filter through the
electronic database-140 stored pending tasks/availability, product
loading times, physical locations, and route conditions of the
remaining available vehicles in order to determine which of these
vehicles are capable of delivering the product 190 to the customer
within the one hour specified by the customer (step 425). This
filter would eliminate vehicles that have pending tasks that would
prevent them from picking up and delivering the product 190 to the
customer within one hour, or vehicles that are too far from the
customer's designated delivery location to deliver the product 190
to the customer within the time frame specified by the customer. In
another example, this third filter may filter out a given worker
172 at a product stocking facility 170 because the associate is not
finishing her or her shift within the next hour.
[0034] After the control circuit 210 runs the three aforementioned
filters to arrive at a list of vehicles that meet the size/weight
requirements, product handling requirements, and delivery speed
requirements, in some embodiments, the control circuit 210 is
further programmed to run a risk threshold filter in association
with each of the remaining vehicles with respect to the mission of
delivering the pint of ice cream to the customer within one hour.
For example, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the
control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
programmed to run a fourth filter through the electronic database
140-stored risk factors (e.g., commercial performance (e.g.,
financial) risks, mission performance (e.g., not making the
delivery in time) risks, catastrophic risks (e.g., traffic
conditions, financial liability in case of accident), etc.)
associated with assigning a given vehicle the mission to deliver
the pint of ice cream to the customer within one hour (step 430) in
order to identify the vehicles listed in the electronic database
140 that meet the additional conveyance risk factors special
requirements for delivering the ice cream ordered by the customer.
In one exemplary scenario, for instance, the fourth filter would
knock out AGV because the customer lives in a high-traffic area
that the present AGV cannot safely handle based on previous
analysis by the control circuit 210 of the region stored in the
electronic database 140, leaving the only two possible remaining
choices as the UAV 172 and the worker 174 who works at a given
product stocking facility 170.
[0035] After the control circuit 210 runs the four aforementioned
filters to arrive at a list vehicles that meet the size/weight
requirements, product handling requirements, delivery speed
requirements, and risk score requirements, the control circuit 210
is further programmed to run a cost analysis in association with
each of the remaining vehicles with respect to the mission of
delivering the pint of ice cream to the customer within one hour.
For example, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the
control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
programmed to run a fifth, cost-efficiency filter through the
electronic database 140-stored cost factors (e.g., (e.g., distance
to be traveled from vehicle location to delivery location, size of
load, time of travel, fuel cost, etc.) associated with assigning a
given vehicle the mission to deliver the pint of ice cream to the
customer within one hour (step 435) in order to identify the
vehicle listed in the electronic database 140 that has the lowest
cost of delivering the ice cream ordered by the customer. For
example, if the control circuit 210 determines that the UAV is the
least expensive product conveyance means out of three remaining
vehicles (e.g., delivery cost is $2.00 for the UAV 174, while the
delivery cost is $3.00 for the worker 172 and $5.00 for a
third-party currier).
[0036] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, after the
control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 determines
the vehicle associated with the lowest delivery cost in step 435,
the control circuit 210 selects a worker 172 or unmanned delivery
vehicle 174 associated with the lowest delivery risk and the lowest
delivery cost as the worker 17 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 for
delivering the product 190 (i.e., pint of ice cream) to the
customer from a selected retail store 160 or a selected product
stocking facility 170 of the retailer (step 440). After such a
worker 172 (to deliver via personal car) or unmanned vehicle 174
(e.g., UAV) is selected by the control unit 210 in step 440, the
control unit 210 of the central computing device 150 causes the
computing device 150 to send an electronic notification to the
worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 in order to notify such
worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 that he/she/it has been
assigned the task of delivering the pint of ice cream to the
customer within one hour at the customer-designated delivery
destination (step 445), and to send an electronic notification to
the customer in order to notify the customer that a worker 172 or
unmanned delivery vehicle 174 has been assigned the task of
delivering the pint of ice cream to the customer within one hour at
the customer-designated delivery destination (step 450).
[0037] In certain situations, the above-discussed analysis may lead
to the control unit 210 selecting a delivery vehicle that is best
suited for delivering the pint of ice cream to the customer, but
cannot deliver the ice cream within the time frame (i.e., one hour)
specified by the customer. In some embodiments, when such a
situation occurs, the control unit 210 is programmed to send an
electronic notification to the customer in order to provide the
customer with an alternative delivery time and enable the customer
to accept or reject the proposed alternative delivery time. If the
customer accepts the proposed alternative delivery time (e.g., by
clicking on "YES" button in the electronic notification transmitted
by the central computing device 150), the central computing device
150 then assigns delivery mission to the vehicle best suited to
deliver the product 190 within the alternative time frame accepted
by the customer.
[0038] In certain situations, the above-discussed analysis may lead
to the control unit 210 determining that there are no delivery
vehicles available to deliver the product 190 to the customer. In
some embodiments, when such a situation occurs, the control unit
210 is programmed to send an electronic notification to the
customer in order to provide the customer with an option to come
pick up the product at the retail store 160 or product stocking
location 170. If the customer accepts to pick up the product,
(e.g., by clicking on "YES" button in the electronic notification
transmitted by the central computing device 150), the central
computing device 150 then transmits an electronic notification to
the retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170 indicating
that the customer will be coming in to pick up the product. If the
customer does not accept to pick up the product (e.g., by clicking
on "NO" button in the electronic notification transmitted by the
central computing device 150, the control unit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to cancel the order and inform
the customer accordingly.
[0039] In one aspect, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to analyze geographic locations
(e.g., global positioning system (GPS) coordinates) of the delivery
location 180, retail store 160, and product stocking facility 170
to determine the retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170
located at a physical address that is geographically closest to
(i.e., the shortest distance from) the delivery location 180
designated by the customer. It will be appreciated that the control
circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is programmed to
analyze not only the relative geographic locations of the retail
store 160, product stocking facility 170, and delivery location 180
when determining whether to select a retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 from which to deliver the customer-ordered
product(s) 190 to the delivery location 180. For example, in some
embodiments, the control circuit 210 of the central computing
device 150 is configured to analyze one or more additional factors
based on the inventory management data obtained from the electronic
database 140 in order to select the retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 from which to deliver the product(s) 190 to
the customer.
[0040] In some embodiments, the system 100 includes one or more
sensors 175. The term "sensors" as used herein will be understood
to include substantially any device that provides information to
the central computing device 150 to be used in product and/or
delivery vehicle detection, product and/or delivery vehicle
environment mapping, product and/or delivery vehicle location
determination, and/or other such sensor information. In some
embodiments, one or more of retail store 160, product stocking
facility 170, worker 172 (e.g., worker's hand-held electronic
device or delivery vehicle used by the worker), and unmanned
delivery vehicle 174 are provided with one or more sensors 175
including but not limited to sensors configured to detect and/or
identify the products 190 stocked at the retail store 160 and the
product stocking facility 170 and/or the products being transported
by the worker 172 and the unmanned delivery vehicle 174. In some
aspects, the sensors 175 include but are not limited to sensors
that are configured to detect and/or identify the delivery vehicle
(e.g., vehicle of a worker 172 and/or the unmanned delivery vehicle
174); sensors that are configured to detect location (e.g., GPS
coordinates) and movement (e.g., direction of travel, speed, etc.)
of the delivery vehicle, capture images and/or video (e.g., of
objects around the delivery vehicle, products 190 within the
delivery vehicle, etc.), capture thermographic, infrared, and/or
multi spectral images; one or more accelerometers, one or more
gyroscopes; one or more odometers; one or more location sensors,
one or more distance measurement sensors (e.g., laser sensors,
sonar sensors, sensors that measure distance by emitting and
capturing a wireless signal (which can comprise light and/or sound)
etc.), 3D scanning sensors, other such sensors, or a combination of
two or more of such sensors.
[0041] In some embodiments, the sensors 175 are configured to scan
identifying indicia located on the products 190 and/or
product-containing packages that are being stocked at the retail
store 160 and product stocking facility 170 and/or being
transported by a delivery vehicle (e.g., worker-operated, unmanned
delivery vehicle 174, third party-operated delivery vehicle, etc.).
The identifying indicia on a product 190 that may be scanned by the
sensors 175 may include, but is not limited to: two dimensional
barcode, RFID, near field communication (NFC) identifiers,
ultra-wideband (UWB) identifiers, Bluetooth identifiers, images, or
other such optically readable, radio frequency detectable or other
such code, or combination of such codes. In some aspects, as the
products 190 are being placed on a shelf or into a bin at a retail
store 160 or a product stocking facility 170, the respective
sensors 175 of the retail store 160 and product stocking facility
170 obtain the identity of each such product 190 and transmit a
signal including an identifying characteristic and/or location of
the product 190 scanned by the sensor 175 to the electronic
database 140 and/or directly to the central computing device
150.
[0042] Similarly, in some aspects, when the products 190 are being
loaded into and/or transported by a delivery vehicle (e.g., vehicle
of a worker 172 or the unmanned delivery vehicle 174), the
respective sensors 175 associated with the worker 172 and the
unmanned delivery vehicle 174 obtain the identity of each such
product 190 and transmit a signal including an identifying
characteristic and/or location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of the
product 190 scanned by the sensor 175 to the electronic database
140 and/or directly to the central computing device 150. As a
result, the central computing device 150 is provided by the sensors
175 with information regarding the location of the products 190 in
real-time, which advantageously enables the central computing
device 150 to have access to up-to-date inventory management data
when making a determination of which product storage location
(e.g., retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170) to pick a
product 190 from to fulfill an internet order placed by a product,
and which conveyance or delivery vehicle (e.g., vehicle of a worker
172 or an unmanned delivery vehicle, etc.) to select for fulfilling
this internet-based order from the selected product storage
location. In some embodiments, as mentioned above, the control unit
210 of the central computing device 150 is programmed to obtain
(e.g., from the sensors 175) and/or generate global positioning
system (GPS) coordinates of the products 190 available to fulfill
an internet-based order placed by a customer and obtain and/or
generate GPS coordinates of the one or more delivery locations 180,
and to analyze the obtained GPS coordinates to determine an optimal
location from which to deliver the product 190 to the customer and
an optimal delivery vehicle via which to deliver this product 190
to the customer.
[0043] In some aspects, the sensors 175 can detect actual physical
characteristic information of the products 190 including but not
limited to: dimensional characteristics (e.g., size and shape);
total weight; total volume, temperature, smell; exterior texture,
tamper-evidence status, etc. For example, in some embodiments, the
sensors 175 are configured to recognize physical characteristic
information associated with the products 190 stocked at the retail
store 160 and product stocking facility 170, as well as physical
characteristic information associated with products 190 being
loaded into and/or transported by the delivery vehicles (e.g.,
unmanned delivery vehicle 174, vehicle of the worker 172, etc.). As
such, the sensors 175 can facilitate detection of products 190 that
are damaged (e.g., while stored at the retail store 160 or stocking
facility 170, or while being transported by the worker 172 or
unmanned delivery vehicle), which advantageously enables the
central computing device 150 to avoid picking such products 190 to
fulfill internet-based orders and to interrupt delivery of such
products 190 while en route, thereby advantageously avoiding
delivery of damaged products 190 to the customer.
[0044] In certain implementations, the delivery vehicles (e.g., the
vehicle of a worker 172, the unmanned delivery vehicle, etc.) are
equipped with one or more sensors configured to detect status
information pertaining to movement of the delivery vehicles along
their current routes. In some aspects, such sensors 175 include a
sensor configured for measuring the speed of the delivery vehicle
and a sensor that relays the GPS coordinates of the delivery
vehicle. Since the GPS coordinates of the delivery location 180 is
entered by the customer when placing the order over the internet,
in some embodiments, the control unit 210 of the central computing
device 150 is enabled by the sensor data obtained from such sensors
175 to calculate the amount of time required that would be required
for the delivery vehicle to arrive at the delivery location 1 180
after picking up the product 190 at a given product stocking
facility 170 or retail store 160.
[0045] In some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to analyze pending
internet-based product orders being processed by the retailer. For
example, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device
150 is programmed to obtain from the electronic database 140 data
indicating the routes of all vehicles (e.g., vehicles of workers
172, unmanned delivery vehicles 174, and other delivery vehicles)
scheduled to make deliveries in areas proximate to the delivery
location 180, and to determine whether a certain retail store 160
or product stocking facility 170 stocking the products 190 ordered
by a customer in the delivery location 180 is so aligned with a
route of a given delivery vehicle to justify stopping the delivery
vehicle at that retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170
in order to pick up the products 190 ordered by the customer
therefrom, and to deliver the products 190 via that delivery
vehicle to the customer at the delivery location 180 at a minimum
additional transportation cost to the retailer.
[0046] In some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to analyze the cost of
delivering a product 190 ordered by the customer to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer from a retail store 160 or
product stocking facility 170 via a worker 172 available at the
retail store 160 or product stocking facility 170, or via unmanned
delivery vehicle 174 available for delivering the products 190. For
example, in some configurations, after performing an analysis of
the cost of delivering the products 190 ordered online by the
customer to the delivery location 180 designated by the customer,
the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
configured to select a retail store 160 or product stocking
facility 170 associated with the lowest cost to the retailer of
delivering the products 190 to the delivery location 180. By the
same token, after performing an analysis of the cost of delivering
the products 190 ordered online by the customer to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer, the control circuit 210 of
the central computing device 150 is configured to select a worker
172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 for delivering the
customer-ordered products 190 to the delivery location 180 based on
which delivery option (i.e., worker 172 or unmanned delivery
vehicle 174) is determined by the control circuit 210 of the
central computing device 150 to be associated with a lowest cost to
the retailer of delivering the products 190 to the customer.
[0047] In some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to analyze delivery restrictions
associated with the customer who purchased the product(s) 190 from
the retailer via the internet-based order. In other words, the
control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
programmed to analyze the possible obstacles that may prevent,
delay, and/or increase the cost of delivery of the products 190 to
the delivery location 180 from the retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 (e.g., via a worker 172 of the retail store
160 or product stocking facility 170 or via an unmanned delivery
vehicle 174). Such possible delivery restrictions may include but
are not limited to: buildings, other structures, no fly zones,
access-restricted areas (e.g., secure buildings or gated
communities), or the like. For example, in some configurations,
after determining that a product stocking facility 170 represents
the optimal location from which to deliver the products 190 ordered
online by the customer to the delivery location 180 designated by
the customer, the control circuit 210 of the central computing
device 150 is configured to select an unmanned delivery vehicle 174
instead of a worker 172 for delivering the customer-ordered
products 190 from the product stocking facility 170 to the delivery
location 180 based on a determination by the control circuit 210
that the worker 172 would not be able to gain access to the
delivery location 180 (which is a house located within a gated
community).
[0048] In some embodiments, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is configured to preferentially select the
product stocking facility 170 over the retail store 160 during a
selection, by the control circuit 210 of a facility from which to
deliver the customer's online-ordered products 190 to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer. In other words, when it is
equally economical (e.g., in terms of cost to the retailer) and
efficient (e.g., in terms of order fulfillment time) for a product
190 to be delivered to the delivery location 180 designated by the
customer from a given retail store 160 and a given product stocking
facility 170 the control circuit 210 is programmed to
preferentially select the product stocking facility 170 as the
location from which the product 190 is picked for delivery to the
customer. As a result of the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 preferentially selecting a product stocking
facility 170 over a retail store 160, orders placed online by the
customers of the retailer are preferentially filled by products 190
stocked at the product stocking facility 170 while preserving the
products 190 stocked (on the sales floor or in a stock room) at the
retail store 160. In other words, products 190 that were
transported to the retail store 160 with the purpose of being
offered on the sales floor of the retail store 160 to the customers
(or being stocked in the stock room to serve as replenishment
inventory) do not have to be re-transported from the retail store
160 to fulfill an online delivery order and do not require
additional replenishment products 190 to be transported to the
retail store 160 to insure that the retail store 160 (which lost
some of its inventory to fulfillment of online delivery orders)
possesses a sufficient number of products 190 to satisfy the demand
by in-store customers.
[0049] It will be appreciated, however, that the system 100 does
not preclude filling an online order via a product 190 that is
stocked at the retail store 160 when such fulfillment is calculated
by the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 to
be more economical and/or efficient than fulfillment of the online
order via a product 190 that is stocked at the product stocking
facility 170. For example, in some embodiments, the control circuit
210 of the central computing device 150 is configured to select the
retail store 160 instead of the product stocking facility 170 as
the location from which a product 190 is drawn to be delivered to
the customer to fulfill an online order upon a determination, by
the control circuit 210, that delivery of the product 190 from the
selected retail store 160 is more economical (e.g., cheaper) for
the retailer than delivery of the product 190 from any of the
product stocking facilities 170. In some embodiments, for
perishable products 190 having a shorter shelf life, the control
circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is configured to
preferentially select the retail store 160 (e.g., a shelf on the
sales floor) over the product stocking facility 170 during a
selection, by the control circuit 210 of a facility from which to
deliver the customer's online-ordered products 190 to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer, thereby possibly avoiding
spoilage of the product 190 (e.g., if the product 190 picked from
the retail store 160 is near its expiration date), and
advantageously optimizing profit of the retail store 160. In some
embodiments, for perishable products 190, the control circuit 210
of the central computing device 150 is configured to preferentially
select the retail store 160 having an older (yet adequately fresh)
product 190 over another retail store 160 having a newer product
190 (i.e., further away from its expiration date) during a
selection, by the control circuit 210 of a facility from which to
deliver the customer's online-ordered products 190 to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer, thereby reducing the
number of perishable products 190 that are allowed to be
expired.
[0050] In some embodiments, after the control circuit 210 of the
central computing device 150 selects a retail store 160 instead one
of a product stocking facility 170 as a facility from which the
product 190 ordered online by the customer is to be delivered to
the delivery location 180 designated by the customer, the control
circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is programmed to
preferentially select to pick the product 190 from a stock room of
the retail store 160 instead of from a shelf on a sales floor of
the retail store 160. As such, when the central computing device
150 determines that it would be most economical and/or efficient to
fulfill an online order from the retail store 160 instead of a
product stocking facility 170, the online order is preferentially
fulfilled by taking the products 190 to be delivered to the
customer from the stock room (not the sales floor), thus leaving
the product 190 that is displayed on the sales floor of the retail
store 160 in its place on the sales floor shelf to be potentially
purchased by in-store customers.
[0051] In some embodiments, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is programmed to generate and transmit an
electronic notification (e.g., alert) in connection with
determination of a facility (e.g., retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170) from which a product 190 ordered by the
customer is going to be delivered to the delivery location 180
designated by the customer. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
1, the electronic notification may be transmitted via the network
125 from the central computing device 150 to electronic devices
including but not limited to: computing device at a retail store
160, computing device at a product stocking facility 170,
electronic device of a worker 172, unmanned delivery vehicle
174.
[0052] For example, the central computing device 150 can transmit a
signal over the network 125 to an electronic device of a worker 172
at the product stocking facility 170 to inform the worker 172 that
he has been selected to deliver a product 190 ordered online by a
customer to a delivery location 180 designated by the customer.
Similarly, the central computing device 150 can transmit a signal
over the network 125 to a computing device at the product stocking
facility 170 to inform the product stocking facility 170 that its
worker 172 has been selected to deliver a product 190 ordered
online by a customer to a delivery location 180 designated by the
customer. In some aspects, the electronic notification transmitted
from the central computing device 150 to the electronic device of
the worker 172 and/or the computing device at the product stocking
facility 170 includes a delivery address of the customer to which
the delivery is to be made, and a time frame for delivering the
product 190 to the customer (if the online order included a
specific time frame within which the product 190 is to be delivered
to the delivery location 180). In some embodiments, the electronic
notifications sent by the central computing device 150 over the
network 125 include but are not limited to short message service
(SMS) messages, electronic mail (e-mail) messages, instant
messenger messages, voice mail messages, and/or push
notifications.
[0053] In some embodiments, the control circuit 210 of the central
computing device 150 is configured to receive an acknowledgment
from an electronic device of the worker 172 and/or a computing
device at the product stocking facility 170 indicating that the
instruction to deliver a product from the product stocking facility
170 to the delivery location 180 has been received from the central
computing device 150. In one aspect, if the central computing
device 150 receives an electronic notification from the electronic
device of the worker 172 or the computing device at the product
stocking facility 170 indicating that the worker 172 is not
available (or will otherwise be unable) to deliver the product 190,
the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 150 is
programmed to obtain inventory management data from the electronic
database 140 in order to determine another worker located at the
product stocking facility 170 that is available to deliver the
product 190 from the product stocking facility 170 to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer. In some embodiments, if no
workers 172 are available at a given product stocking facility 170
to deliver the product 190 to the customer, the control circuit 210
of the central computing device 150 is programmed to analyze
inventory and worker availability at nearby product stocking
facilities 170 and/or retail stores 160, and to select an
alternative product stocking facility 170 and/or retail store 160
from which to deliver the product 190 to the customer.
[0054] As discussed above, the electronic database 140 can include
customer demand forecast data associated with the products 190
stocked at the retail stores 160 of the retailer and the product
stocking facilities 170. In some aspects, such customer demand
forecast data is obtained from the electronic database 140 by the
central computing device 150 when determining whether to draw
products 190 from a given retail store 160 or a given product
stocking facility 170 whether fulfilling online orders and/or
replenishing products on a sales floor of a retail store 160. For
example, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device
150 is programmed, in some configurations, to obtain the customer
demand forecast data from the electronic database 140 and to
allocate the products 190 between the retail stores 160 and product
stocking facilities 170 based on the customer demand forecast data
obtained from the electronic database 140. As such, when the
customer demand forecast data obtained from the electronic database
140 indicates a projected large increase in online orders for a
given product 190 in one week, the central computing device 150 can
allocate more units of that product 190 to be stored at product
stocking facilities 170 to avoid having to draw excessive units of
that product 190 from the retail stores 160 and avoid situations
where the retail stores 160 run out of or are too low in inventory
of that product 190 and the in-store customers are unable to buy
this product 190 due to the high online demand.
[0055] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a method 300 of facilitating
delivery of products 190 purchased by customers from a retailer via
internet-based orders. The exemplary method 300 includes providing
an order processing server 130 configured to process an
internet-based order for one or more product 190 placed by a
customer from the retailer (step 310). As discussed above, when a
customer orders a product 190 online via an order processing server
130, the product 190 is delivered to the customer from a location
(e.g., product stocking facility 170 or retail store 160) and via a
delivery carrier (e.g., worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle
174) that is determined to represent the most cost-effective and
efficient location and carrier for that delivery.
[0056] In order to facilitate this determination, the exemplary
method 300 includes providing an electronic database 140 storing
inventory management data (step 320) and providing a central
computing device 150 in communication with the order processing
server 130 and the electronic database 140 (step 330). As discussed
in more detail above, the central computing device 150 is
configured to obtain inventory management data from the electronic
database 140 and, based on the delivery location 180 where the
customer wants the product 190 delivered (and, in some cases, also
based on delivery timing requirements set by the customer), the
central computing device 150 selects a location (e.g., product
stocking facility 170 or retail store 160) that serves as the
optimal (e.g., most cost-effective) location from which to deliver
the product 190 to the customer, as well as a delivery carrier
(e.g., worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174) that serves as
the most cost-effective and efficient agent for delivering the
product 190.
[0057] For example, in some embodiments, after a customer purchases
a product 190 from the retailer via the order processing server 130
of the retailer and elects (via the graphical interface 122 of the
customer computing device 120) to have the products 190 ordered by
the customer delivered to a delivery location 180 selected by the
customer, the central computing device 150 obtains inventory
management data from the electronic database 140 relevant to making
a determination as to from which location (e.g., retail store 160
or product stocking facility 170) to fulfill this order. The
inventory management data obtained by the central computing device
150 from the electronic database 140 can include data indicating
geographic locations of the retail stores 160 and product stocking
facilities 170 where the product 190 ordered online by the customer
is stocked, as well as data indicating on-hand inventory at such
retail stores 160 and product stocking facilities 170.
[0058] The inventory management data obtained by the central
computing device 150 from the electronic database 140 can also
include data indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of
workers 172 at the retail stores 160 and product stocking
facilities 170 of the retailer, as well as geographic locations and
pending tasks of unmanned delivery vehicles 174 that are configured
for delivering products 190 to customers from the retail stores 160
and/or product stocking facilities 170 of the retailer. In one
aspect, to save system resources and increase processing speed,
instead of obtaining inventory management data stored in the
electronic database 140 with respect to all retail stores 160 and
all product stocking facilities 170 of the retailer in the country
or state, the central computing device 150 obtains inventory
management data with respect to retail stores 160 and/or product
stocking facilities 170 located within a predetermined radius
(e.g., 5 miles, 10 miles, 25 miles, 50 miles, or more) relative to
the delivery location 180 where the customer wants the product 190
to be delivered.
[0059] In the exemplary method 300 of FIG. 3, after the central
computing device 150 obtains the aforementioned inventory
management data from the electronic database 140, the central
computing device 150 analyzes the obtained inventory management
data in order to determine which product stocking facility 170 of
the retailer is optimal for serving as the facility from which the
product 190 ordered by the customer is delivered to the delivery
location 180 designated by the customer. In addition, after the
central computing device 150 determines which product stocking
facility 170 of the retailer will serve as the facility from which
the product 190 ordered by the customer is delivered to the
delivery location 180 designated by the customer, the central
computing device 150 analyzes the inventory management data and
selects, from the available workers 172 and unmanned delivery
vehicles 174 listed in the electronic database 140, a worker 172 or
unmanned delivery vehicle 174 to deliver the product 190 to the
customer from the selected product stocking facility 170 or the
selected retail store 160. The analysis underlying these
determinations has been described in detail above and will not be
reproduced here.
[0060] In the exemplary method 300 of FIG. 3, after the central
computing device 150 determines, based on the inventory management
data obtained from the electronic database 140, the product
stocking facility 170 or retail store 160 from which the product
190 is to be delivered to the customer and the worker 172 or
unmanned delivery vehicle 174 that will deliver the product 190 to
the customer from the selected product stocking facility 170 or the
selected retail store 160, the central computing device 150
transmits, over the network 125 an electronic notification to the
selected worker 172 or unmanned delivery vehicle 174 to indicate a
delivery location 180 (e.g., street address) designated by the
customer. Such a notification can be transmitted by the central
computing device 150 directly to the electronic device of the
worker 172 or the unmanned delivery vehicle 174 directly, or via
the computing device located at the retail store 160 or product
stocking facility 170 selected by the central computing device 150
as the location from which the product 190 is to be delivered to
the customer.
[0061] In one aspect, after the worker 172 receives such an
electronic notification from the central computing device 150 over
the network 125, the worker 172 can use the electronic device of
the worker 172 to transmit a signal to the central computing device
150 indicating availability/unavailability of the worker 172 to
deliver the product 190 to the customer. Similarly, after the
product stocking facility 170 or retail store 160 receives such an
electronic notification from the central computing device 150 over
the network 125, a computing device at the product stocking
facility 170 or retail store 160 can be used to transmit a signal
to the central computing device 150 indicating ability/inability of
the product stocking facility 170 or retail store 160 to fulfil the
delivery of the product 190 to the customer. Then, in some
embodiments, the central computing device 150 receives the response
transmitted from the electronic device of the worker 172 or the
computing device of the product stocking facility 170 or retail
store 160.
[0062] The systems and methods described herein advantageously
enables retailers to fulfil online orders using product stock from
facilities that are separate from the retail stores of the
retailer. Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein
improve the efficiency of product delivery systems by eliminating
unnecessary and/or duplicative stocking/restocking/transportation
of products and enable the retail stores to use their inventory for
in-store customer purchases. As such, the systems and methods
provided herein result in significant time and cost savings to the
retailers and increase the chances that retail stores carry
sufficient inventory for in-store customers.
[0063] Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety
of other modifications, alterations, and combinations can also be
made with respect to the above described embodiments without
departing from the scope of the invention, and that such
modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as
being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
* * * * *