Inventory Locating from Search Queries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for ascertaining and generating item inventory in various vending venues are limited, especially for temporary and multi-enterprise venues, where items are often presented without delivery or logging information, posing challenges in automatically generating and presenting accurate inventory lists.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize location-based services, data processing, and machine learning to automatically generate inventory lists by processing item search queries from mobile devices, integrating data from social media, news systems, and geo-classification to identify vending venues and update inventory data, providing notifications and navigation to users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inventory logging is used in vending venues, then inventory accuracy can be maintained, but labor costs and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic inventory generation where the computing device autonomously captures images, identifies items using computer vision, and logs inventory data without human intervention. The device self-services the inventory logging function that previously required manual human effort.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical inventory logging is replaced with an automated digital system using image capture, computer vision algorithms, and automatic data processing. The mechanical action of manual recording is substituted with electronic image-based identification and automated database updates.
2Loss of information
If comprehensive inventory logging is implemented, then inventory completeness improves, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates visual copies (images) of inventory items and uses these copies for identification and logging. Instead of direct physical handling or complex scanning, the system captures and processes image copies of items, simplifying the identification process while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
Image data serves as an intermediary between the physical inventory items and the digital inventory database. The computing device captures images as intermediate representations, which are then processed by computer vision algorithms to extract inventory information, bridging the physical and digital domains.
3Loss of information
If real-time inventory updates are performed, then inventory data freshness improves, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs inventory updates at periodic intervals or triggered by specific events (e.g., when the device is placed on a surface with items). Instead of continuous real-time monitoring, the system captures images and updates inventory data at discrete moments, reducing energy consumption while maintaining data freshness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system captures images and processes inventory data in advance during periods of lower activity, preparing inventory updates before they are needed. This preliminary processing allows the system to have updated inventory data ready without requiring continuous high-energy processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The method computer program products, and systems can include, for instance: obtaining item search query data from one or more mobile client computer device and location data associated to the item search query data, wherein the location data specifies a location of at least one of the one or more mobile client computer device when initiating an item search query; processing the item search query data and the location data; performing augmentation of an item inventory list in response to the processing indicating that a search query for an item has been initiated by a client computer device located at a venue currently operating as a vending venue; and providing one or more output in dependence on the performing augmentation.