Inventory Management Server with Face Recognition

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Solution Overview

Problem

In retail stores, regular customers often miss out on purchasing preferred commodities that are not timely displayed on shelves due to conventional display management systems relying solely on sales, replenishment, and discard data, failing to prioritize commodities likely to be purchased by regular customers.

Innovation Solution

A computer system comprising an inventory management server, POS terminals, face recognition technology, and portable terminals that predict customer preferences based on attributes and purchase history, alerting store clerks to replenish commodities with low display quantities, ensuring preferred items are displayed when regular customers enter the store.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If commodity display management is performed based on commodity sales data, replenishment data and discard data, then inventory management is simplified, but preferred commodities by regular customers are not timely displayed on shelves

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinventory management simplicityVSAvoidcommodity display responsiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by predicting customer preferences and pre-positioning preferred commodities on shelves before customers arrive. The server analyzes purchase history and customer attributes to determine which commodities should be displayed, and store clerks receive advance notifications to ensure preferred items are ready for display when customers enter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a feedback loop where customer purchase data and preferences are continuously analyzed by the server, which then adjusts commodity display recommendations. The server receives feedback from POS terminals and customer detection apparatus, processes this information to identify preferred commodities, and sends updated display instructions to store clerks, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to customer behavior patterns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If conventional display management systems are used, then system complexity is reduced, but sales opportunities are lost due to lack of customer preference prioritization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem structure simplicityVSAvoidsales opportunity loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The server acts as an intermediary between customer detection apparatus, POS terminals, and store clerks. It receives raw data from various sources, processes and analyzes this information to identify customer preferences, and then translates these preferences into actionable display instructions for store clerks. This intermediary layer coordinates information flow without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If face recognition and purchase history analysis are implemented, then customer preference prediction accuracy is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomer preference prediction accuracyVSAvoidsystem component quantity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The server performs multiple functions using a single unified system. It processes data from face recognition apparatus, analyzes purchase history from POS terminals, detects customer attributes, predicts preferences, and generates display instructions. By making the server a multi-functional hub that handles diverse data types and processing tasks, the system avoids the need for separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the advanced capabilities employed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This system effectively prevents sales opportunities by prioritizing the display of predicted customer preferences, ensuring commodities likely to be purchased are readily available, thus enhancing sales and customer satisfaction.

Implementation Method 1

a face recognition computer having a camera communicating with the inventory management server over the first network

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectImage capture: Photography

Data Source

PatentUS11663571B2Inventory management computer system

Publication Date: 2023.05.30 TOSHIBA TEC KK

AI summary

A computer system includes an inventory management server, a plurality of point-of-sale (POS) terminals communicating with the inventory management server over a first network, a face recognition computer having a camera communicating with the inventory management server over the first network, and a portable terminal communicating wirelessly with the inventory management server over a second network. The inventory management server is configured to generates alerts that are displayed on the portable terminal based on first data from the POS terminals and second data from the face recognition computer.