Tablet product quantity monitoring device associated with tablet product replenishment consumables

Abstract

A device for monitoring the quantity of sheet products associated with a sheet product replenishment consumable. Embodiments include at least one receiver for storing the consumable inserted therein; at least one sensor associated with at least one opening in the receiver; a sensing module for receiving data on the quantity of the sheet product from the at least one sensor; and a communication module for transmitting the quantity of the sheet product to at least one mobile device display and to at least one back-end module via at least one network.

Description

[0001] This case is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980050236.7, filed on June 7, 2019, entitled “Apparatus, System and Method for Monitoring Supplemental Needs of Sheet Products”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application 62 / 682,039, filed June 7, 2018, entitled “Apparatus, System, and Method for Providing Monitoring of Supplemental Demand for Sheet Products,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if their entire contents were set forth herein. Background Technology Technical Field

[0005] This disclosure generally relates to sensing, and more specifically, to an apparatus, system, and method for monitoring the quantity of sheet products and indicating replenishment needs. Background Technology

[0007] It should be understood that various products, such as sheet-like items, are stored in containers to facilitate distribution in discrete quantities over a longer period of time, for example, one sheet at a time. Typically, these sheet-like products, which are ultimately placed in containers, are only tracked in batches, i.e., based on the container in which the sheet-like or roll-like products are stored.

[0008] For example, containers holding sheet-like products can be tracked via UPC codes and / or pallets in a warehouse. However, the only way to replenish the product in a container is to make a reasonable estimate of how much product remains in the container when the consumer uses it by opening the container, observing its interior, shaking it to assess its weight, lifting it, or otherwise manipulating it.

[0009] Furthermore, there is no way for container providers—supermarkets, brand owners, and manufacturers—to assess consumer restocking needs. Suppliers also fail to provide consumers with a convenient way to assess whether they need to refill their containers, which undoubtedly limits the resale of sheet products. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The embodiments include at least one sheet product quantity monitoring device associated with sheet product replenishment consumables. The embodiments include at least one receiver for storing the sheet product inserted therein; at least one sensor associated with at least one opening in the receiver; a sensing module for receiving sheet product quantity data from the at least one sensor; and a communication module for transmitting the sheet product quantity to at least one mobile device display and via at least one network to at least one back-end module. Attached Figure Description

[0011] This disclosure is illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example rather than limitation, wherein the same reference numerals indicate similar elements, and wherein:

[0012] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of a sheet product quantity monitoring device associated with sheet product replenishment consumables according to the present invention;

[0013] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of the open cover of a sheet product quantity monitoring device associated with sheet product replenishment consumables according to the present invention;

[0014] Figure 1C This is a schematic diagram of sheet product removal from a sheet product quantity monitoring device associated with sheet product replenishment consumables according to the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of a sheet product quantity monitoring device with a durable cap associated with sheet product replenishment consumables according to the present invention is shown.

[0016] Figure 2B and Figure 2C A schematic diagram of a sheet product quantity monitoring device with a durable cap and a secondary cap associated with sheet product replenishment consumables according to the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 3A The circuit diagram of the sensor inside the durable cover of the present invention and its schematic diagram regarding Wi-Fi and cellular communication are shown.

[0018] Figure 3B The circuit diagram of the sensor inside the durable cover of the present invention and its Bluetooth communication aspect are shown;

[0019] Figures 4A-4D A schematic diagram showing a cross-section of a sheet product for removing stacked or rolled products is provided; and

[0020] Figures 5A-5E It shows the detection Figures 4A-4D A schematic diagram of an embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The accompanying drawings and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects relevant to a clear understanding of the apparatuses, systems, and methods described herein, while other aspects that may be found in typical similar apparatuses, systems, and methods have been omitted for clarity. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other elements and / or operations may be desired and / or necessary for implementing the apparatuses, systems, and methods described herein. However, because such elements and operations are well known in the art and do not contribute to a better understanding of this disclosure, a discussion of such elements and operations may not be provided herein. Nevertheless, this disclosure is intended to inherently include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects that will be known to those skilled in the art.

[0022] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein may also be intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and thus specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless expressly determined as the order of execution, the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or shown. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0023] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “joined to,” “connected to,” or “attached to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly joined to, directly connected to, or directly attached to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly joined to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly attached to” another element or layer, there may be no intermediate elements or layers present. Other terms used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0024] Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or portion from another. That is, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence when used herein. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of exemplary embodiments, the first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or portion.

[0025] This document discloses processor-implemented modules, systems, and methods of use that can provide access to and transformation of various types of digital content, including but not limited to video, images, text, audio, metadata, algorithms, interactive content, and document content, and that track, deliver, manipulate, transform, and report the accessed content. The embodiments of these modules, systems, and methods are intended to be exemplary and not restrictive. Therefore, it is contemplated that the systems and methods described herein can be modified and extended to provide enhancements and / or additions to the exemplary modules, systems, and methods. Consequently, this disclosure is intended to include all such extensions.

[0026] Furthermore, it will be understood that the terms “engine,” “application,” or “module” as used herein do not limit functionality to a particular physical module, but may include any number of tangibly embodied software and / or hardware components that have a transformative effect on at least a portion of the system. Typically, a computer program product according to one embodiment includes a tangible computer-usable medium (e.g., standard RAM, optical disc, USB drive, etc.) having computer-readable program code implemented therein, wherein the computer-readable program code is adapted to be executed by a processor (which may work in conjunction with an operating system) to perform one or more functions and methods as described below. In this respect, the program code may be implemented in any desired language and may be implemented as machine code, assembly code, bytecode, interpreted source code, etc. (e.g., via C, C++, C#, Java, Actionscript, Objective-C, JavaScript, CSS, XML, etc.).

[0027] In modern commerce, many products are sold in stacked or rolled sheets, typically stored in containers such as disposable boxes or cylinders for sheet products. Stacked sheet products sold in boxes include sandwich bags, facial tissues, baby wipes, disinfecting wipes, printer paper, and napkins. Rolled products sold in boxes include aluminum foil, cling film, parchment paper, waxed paper, and printer paper.

[0028] In the aforementioned scenario, to assess the need for product refills, users must evaluate their own product usage. That is, users must pay attention to the container, frequently removing the product from the box or other container, lifting the container, or shaking it to assess whether refills are needed. Therefore, there is currently no way to fully automate product repurchase and refill processes for consumers when the product reaches them, or when the brand, manufacturer, or another entity wishes to remind them of the required refill amount.

[0029] Previous efforts have typically associated products with RFID, NFC tags, QR codes, barcodes, UPC codes, etc., which are read by corresponding sensors for product identification. The embodiments provided by this invention place sensors on or within a receiver paired with the product, enabling the sensing or otherwise conveying of a wealth of information about the consumable beyond identification, such as aspects of its durability. That is, the disclosed durability aspects may include multiple conventional electronic devices designed to sense or read the detailed consumable information provided by the sensors. Therefore, the embodiments provided by this invention offer functionality beyond identification and provide a cost advantage over previously offered RFID, NFC, or optical reading methods.

[0030] Figure 1A Figures 1B and 1C illustrate hardware solutions for the aforementioned needs, alerting consumers, brands, and / or manufacturers to the need for replenishment or automating replenishment. As shown in Figure 1, the sheet product 10 can be housed within a complete container 12. This container 12 can serve as a single-use container for stacked or rolled products, or it can be a durable, reusable container for holding purchased single-use containers (e.g., disposable boxes for sheet products). Thus, as... Figure 1B As shown, the top / lid 14 of the durable, complete container 12 can be opened to allow the purchased product box to be placed inside. It is worth noting that, from the time of purchase, the purchased sheet product 10 may or may not be placed inside the container 12 with its original packaging. As used herein, it will be understood that the durability aspect 14 discussed throughout can be generic or proprietary. That is, proprietary durability can only be used with consumables from a specific brand, and therefore, other brands of the same type of consumables will not be able to use proprietary durability.

[0031] After placing the product inside container 12, or after purchasing a product with a complete container 12, the top 14 of the container can be closed. Whether the product is purchased and temporarily placed in a durable, reusable container, or the product itself comes with a disposable complete container, in either case, the top 14 of the container (the part through which the sheet product is removed from the container) can have a removal opening 20, which can be fitted with one or more sensors 22 to sense the removal of the product. As a non-limiting example, such sensors 22 can include one or more proximity sensors that can sense the sheet product 10 being removed through the opening 20 of container 14. Sensors 22 can be paired, for example, in some embodiments, as the sensors "view" the opening of the container as the sheet product is removed.

[0032] Of course, various sensing methods can be used for sensor 22, such as infrared or ultrasonic proximity sensing during flight. According to this disclosure, the sensor output can be active or passive, and in any case, the output of sensor 22 can be provided to one or more processing systems, as further discussed herein with reference to Figure 3.

[0033] As a non-limiting example, time-of-flight sensors can provide accurate measurements within a range of 5 mm to 2000 mm. In operation, the time-of-flight sensor continuously sends light pulses to the product, then receives the light returning from the product, measuring the time elapsed since the light pulses reflected back to the sensor. Of course, using only a proximity sensor may result in erroneous readings, such as due to reflections from sunlight, the user's clothing, transparent paper, or simply because the user has reached into the container without removing a sheet of product; such misreadings can be corrected using the methods discussed herein. For example, an additional proximity sensor can compensate for the misreading of a single proximity sensor, or two types of proximity sensors (e.g., ultrasonic and infrared) can correct the misreading caused by a single proximity sensor. Combining multiple such sensors can further reduce misreadings.

[0034] Therefore, as Figure 1C As shown, the disposable box 12 of the sheet product 10 can be placed inside the durable box 12 / 14, and the product 10 can be removed from the disposable box 12 through one or more openings 20 in the durable container 14. As shown, when removing the product 10, the product 10 can pass in front of the sensor 22, thereby indicating the single use of the sheet product 10 through sensor data.

[0035] Figure 2A 2B and 2C illustrate embodiments similar to those discussed herein with respect to Figure 1, except that only a durable cap 14 is provided for placement on a disposable container. Figure 2AAs shown, the durable cover 14, including the sensor 22 discussed herein, can be placed on a box, bag, or stack 12 of a disposable or consumable item so that the product 10 can be tracked as it passes through the opening 20 of the durable cover 14 and moves out from the front of the sensor 22, as discussed throughout the document.

[0036] It is worth noting that, such as Figure 2B and 2C As shown, Figure 1A , 1B The cap 14 of 2A may additionally include one or more auxiliary seals, secondary caps 100, to retain or prevent the ingress of moisture or contaminants. That is, the secondary cap 100 may at least partially cover the opening 20 at the top of the durable container 14 through which the sheet product 10 is removed.

[0037] Figure 3A and 3B The circuitry and communication aspects of the sensor 22 within the durable cover 14 discussed herein are illustrated. As shown, the sensor 22 can sense the removal of the sheet product 10 as described above, and can transmit sensor data 200 to one or more back-end supplementary evaluation modules 204 on each use or after multiple uses using a communication transceiver, which may include, for example, one or more antennas 202. As shown in Figure 3, this communication from the sensor 22 can occur via Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc., and can occur directly, such as via cloud service 206, to supplementary back-end 204, or indirectly via auxiliary device 210, such as a mobile phone. This communication can be performed to convey information to auxiliary device 210 and / or supplementary back-end 204.

[0038] Therefore, the software and / or firmware aspects associated with backend 204 and / or device 210 may include a quantity sensing and / or supplementary algorithm 230. That is, algorithm 230 may also include the ability to define and convey sensing measurements. Additionally, network communication such as WiFi may be included in or controlled by the firmware or software algorithm 230. Thus, quantity sensing updates can be transmitted from sensor 22 to smartphone 210 and / or backend 204 at appropriate intervals.

[0039] Furthermore, the generation of automatic replenishment instructions from firmware or software 230 based on the received sensor data 200 may include information from the user device's application 230 or the cloud backend module 230. Therefore, network communication or order placement may be triggered by changes in the quantity of sheet products (e.g., continuous or periodic), the need for automatic replenishment set by the consumer or brand, etc., and thus communication may occur at fixed time intervals, continuously, or at variable frequency intervals.

[0040] That is, the wireless transmission sensing capability discussed herein allows the need for replenishing products to be assessed and transmitted to local devices, such as mobile devices, and / or to the back-end system 204 discussed herein. Thus, as a non-limiting example, semi-automatic or automatic replenishment of sheet products can be provided, and such replenishment needs can be communicated to the product's user, supplier, manufacturer, or brand provider.

[0041] Based on the foregoing, user application 230 may include various aspects. For example, smartphone application 230 may discover and pair with the firmware of the durable dispensing sensor 22, such as displaying an automatic recovery request or confirmation in a user dialogue format when the dispenser sensor 22 is activated or "on". Furthermore, smartphone application 230 may display the current quantity of sheet products and / or the update frequency for that quantity.

[0042] Application 230 may additionally include the ability to receive discount and target messages, such as from the brand's dashboard 230 at module 204. These may be in the form of push notifications or user dialog boxes that provide application prompts within the user's application 230 to accept and / or apply discount codes, whereby discount codes may be saved for the next order or applied to the current order. Of course, the consumer application 230 may include the ability to change any one or more of the aforementioned settings or any additional settings, such as auto-recovery settings, whereby a percentage threshold for the quantity of sheet products may be changed for auto-recovery indications. The foregoing may be available in the user application or brand dashboard from drop-down menus or similar menus, pop-ups, or via any known user at a cloud backend. Therefore, the ability of sensor 22 to remotely communicate with smartphone 210 (e.g., a brand, retailer (e.g., a supermarket), or manufacturer's dedicated application 230) allows the user to change settings, assess replenishment needs, provide visualizations of product quantities, confirm or request purchases, explore related products from the same manufacturer or competing products from other manufacturers, or interact.

[0043] The dashboard 230 at backend 204 referenced in this document may additionally include other specific aspects. For example, the dashboard may include automatically recoverable event data, specific user information, location-based information, etc. Furthermore, the dashboard 230 may integrate third-party data, such as weather data, to allow data fusion between sensed data and publicly available data sources, such as for optimizing sales.

[0044] Dashboard 230 may also include one or more search capabilities. That is, dashboard users can search for specific data across one or more users, such as "frequent users," "declining users" (i.e., a list of users whose usage frequency has declined relative to long-term use), certain geographic searches, usage associated with certain events (such as snowstorms), etc. In response to this search, and in other ways, consumer data can be obtained from within dashboard 230. That is, dashboard items, such as auto-completion items, can include deep query capabilities to obtain more detail. Deep queries can include basic information, such as approximate location, and more specific information, such as quantitative items or liquid levels over time.

[0045] Dashboard 230 may additionally include the ability to design marketing campaigns and / or discount codes. For example, discount codes may be provided based on certain thresholds met by certain consumer data. Thus, discount codes may be automatically generated for one or more consumers upon triggering an event, or they may be “hard-input” by the person controlling dashboard 230. Furthermore, the foregoing aspects may overlap, for example, where discount codes are readily executed in response to a click to all consumers already returned in response to an input search within the dashboard.

[0046] Additional aspects can be provided by a cloud-based backend 204. The cloud-based backend 204 can store data, for example, including auto-completion items, and can be adapted to provide this data to the smartphone application 230 and / or dashboard 230 as needed. Furthermore, some of the decision-making algorithms discussed throughout this document can also reside at the cloud-based backend, such as in the smartphone application. That is, as a non-limiting example, the telematics capabilities discussed herein can allow device 210 to "piggyback" to the backend 204 for use with cloud-based data storage, remote device provisioning, offloading of heavy processing, user management, and creation of content based on demographics or user types.

[0047] Figure 4A , 4B Figures 4C and 4D illustrate an embodiment in which sensor 22 senses the removal of sheet product 10 through opening 20 of durable cover 14, as discussed throughout this document. It should be understood that Figure 4 provides a cross-sectional illustration for removing stacked or rolled sheet product 10.

[0048] As shown in the figure, the opening 20 of the container includes a sensor 22, such as a time-of-flight sensor. This sensor 22 can detect opaque and / or transparent products, such as resealable plastic bags, plastic packaging, baby wipes, and aluminum foil, that are manually removed through the opening 20 of the durable lid 14.

[0049] Depending on the type of sensor 22 used, the construction of the durable cover 14 and the opening 20 therein can vary. For example, when using a time-of-flight sensor, one side of the cover 14 can be lower than the other side to prevent light reflection back into the time-of-flight sensor 22, which could otherwise lead to incorrect sensing.

[0050] Clearly, pulling the sheet-like product 10 through opening 20 and / or inserting a hand or finger into opening 20 to grasp the product 10 for removal reduces the distance the beam travels near the sensor, which is then measured by the sensor. Of course, in this case, the sensor may easily misread the insertion of a hand as a reduction in the amount of product still present in the container, rather than as product removal. This can, of course, be addressed by changing the type of sensor, for example, by reading the hand and product removal based on sensor timing, or through other methods discussed throughout this paper.

[0051] As a non-restrictive example, Figure 5A , 5B Examples 5C, 5D, and 5E provide a detection embodiment to address misreading that may occur in the embodiment of FIG4. For example, two sensors 22, such as two time-of-flight sensors, can be stacked one on top of the other, such that one is closer to the outside of the container and the other closer to the inside. This allows the direction of movement of the user's hand or the removed product 10 to be determined. Furthermore, other aspects, such as the angle of the sensed object and the timing of the movement of the hand or product 10 between the two sensors 22, can be evaluated based on the differences in distance and time detected by sensing each of the two sensors 22. Moreover, it is understood that more than two sensors 22 or different types of sensors may be included in the embodiment to address the misreading problem discussed herein.

[0052] As an example, the sensor discussed herein can be placed on the opening of the disclosed lid. Therefore, since a user is likely to insert their hand approximately to the center of the lid, the sensor is unlikely to be triggered by the presence or movement of the user's hand, but is still more likely to be triggered by the product that is likely to cross most of the opening, as sheet-like products are typically sized according to the width of the container they reside in. Thus, removal of the sheet-like product is likely to trip the sensor for an off-center lid opening, but the likelihood of a user's hand, typically inserted approximately to the center of the opening, tripping the disclosed off-center sensor is less. Of course, such problems can be addressed in other ways, such as placing one sensor approximately at the center of the opening and an off-center sensor in the center position, so that the central sensor is more likely to be triggered by the user's hand when triggered, and both the central and off-center sensors are likely to be triggered by the product. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user's approach to the container and the removal of the product can be measured separately.

[0053] Of course, the use of durable reusable containers can provide auxiliary functions in addition to tracking product retrieval. For example, durable containers may have heaters, such as for heating baby wipes; they may include cut edges, such as cut edges that are essentially inaccessible to the user's hands, for example, to cut foil or plastic packaging; containers may have decorative aspects associated with them and / or their lids; or containers may provide mounting aspects so that they can be mounted to a wall or cabinet, for example, to save counter or drawer space required for dispensing products.

[0054] As discussed throughout, the automated reordering envisioned herein reflects not only the need for product reordering but also the need for the durability of the disclosed system. The need to replenish durable caps or containers can be, for example, alerted by an application that tracks the total number of individual sheet products used, sensor activation, the quantity of consumables placed in and removed, etc.

[0055] As can be seen from the detailed description above, various features have been grouped together in a single embodiment for clarity and brevity. This approach of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intent that embodiments require more features than explicitly described herein. Rather, this disclosure will cover all variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments that will be understood by those skilled in the art based on this disclosure.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the quantity of sheet products associated with replenishment consumables, the device comprising: A receiver for storing the consumables inserted therein; Multiple sensors, associated with at least one opening in the receiver, are used to determine the direction of movement of the user's hand and the retrieved consumable, the angle of the consumable, and the time of movement of the hand or consumable. A sensing module is configured to receive data on the quantity of the sheet-like product from the plurality of sensors; A communication module is used to transmit the sheet product quantity to at least one mobile device display and to at least one back-end module via at least one network; The multiple sensors include proximity sensors and time-of-flight sensors.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The receiver includes a durable container.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The durable container is reusable.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple sensors are located in the cover of the receiver.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The receiver is universal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of sensors includes at least a pair of sensors on either side of the opening.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of sensors includes at least one of an infrared sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

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