Connected Receptacle for Automated Consumable Restocking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumers face complications when purchasing consumable products online, as they must navigate multiple marketplaces and consider shipping costs, often choosing popular but not necessarily the best value options, and there is a need for a system that simplifies the replenishment of consumables based on consumption patterns.

Innovation Solution

Connected Consumer Packaged Goods (cCPGs) with embedded sensors and network transceivers that automatically reorder products when supplies run low, allowing for measurement-based replenishment without the need for manual intervention or smartphone applications, enabling direct ordering between manufacturers and consumers, and bypassing intermediaries.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If consumers manually monitor and reorder consumable products from multiple online marketplaces, then they can ensure continuous supply of consumables, but the complexity of shopping and time required increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous supply of consumablesVSAvoidshopping complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The consumable container automatically monitors its own contents and places reorder requests without human intervention. The container includes a sensor to detect consumption levels and a transceiver to communicate with the server, enabling the system to self-manage the replenishment process entirely.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system proactively monitors consumption levels and initiates reorders before the consumable is completely depleted. The server predicts future consumption needs based on historical data and automatically places orders in advance, ensuring continuous supply without requiring consumer attention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If consumers manually compare multiple online marketplaces and shipping options, then they can find the best value, but the time and effort required increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalue optimizationVSAvoidshopping time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The server continuously receives consumption data from the container and uses this feedback to optimize future reorder decisions. The system learns from historical consumption patterns and marketplace performance data to automatically select the best value options for subsequent purchases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The server pre-evaluates multiple marketplaces and shipping options before the consumer needs to reorder. By analyzing cost, shipping time, and reliability data in advance, the system has already identified the optimal purchase source when the reorder time arrives, eliminating the need for consumer comparison.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If traditional retail intermediaries are involved in the replenishment process, then consumers can access multiple product options, but retail markup increases the cost to consumers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct optionsVSAvoidcost effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts the reorder function from traditional retail intermediaries and establishes a direct connection between the manufacturer and the consumer's container. By removing the retail middleman from the automated replenishment process, the system eliminates markup while maintaining product availability through direct manufacturer sourcing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If consumers shop at brick-and-mortar stores for consumables, then they can immediately obtain products, but they must be physically present during store hours and navigate multiple stores

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimmediate product availabilityVSAvoidshopping convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces the mechanical process of physical travel to stores with automated electronic communication. The container's transceiver sends reorder requests electronically to the server, which then arranges delivery, substituting the need for physical presence at brick-and-mortar stores with automated digital ordering and delivery logistics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11348157B1Replenishment receptacle (connected consumer packaged goods) for a consumption and replenishment system and process

Publication Date: 2022.05.31 WEPLENISH LLC

AI summary

A replenishment receptacle comprised of a volumetric region for storing a consumable good during shipping to a consumer location, a processor, a transceiver, programmatic instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium, an a sensor for determining a quantity of the consumable good in the volumetric region. The sensor periodically detects and reports changes in the quantity of the consumable good present the volumetric region. When the quantity is low (below an established threshold), the consumer good is automatically reordered from a vender, purchased, and shipped to a consumer location. In embodiments, a rate of consumption of the consumable good affects when automatic reordering occurs to ensure the consumable good does not run-out before a new quantity arrives at the consumer location. The replenishment receptacle is able to be discarded in embodiments, where in others it is reusable and/or partially recyclable.