Retail Product Retrieval Routing for Touchless In-Store Shopping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Customers, especially those who are at-risk or mobility challenged, prefer a safe and convenient shopping experience in retail stores, which is not adequately met by traditional in-person shopping methods, and there is a need for efficient product retrieval systems that cater to their needs.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing mobile devices and unmanned vehicles for touch-less shopping, where customers are greeted by a concierge, their order is taken, and products are retrieved and delivered to their vehicles, with inventory management and route optimization to minimize shopping duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional in-person shopping methods are used, then customers can directly select and purchase products, but at-risk and mobility challenged customers experience safety concerns and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an autonomous mobile robot as an intermediary between the customer and the retail store environment. The robot receives product requests from the customer's vehicle, navigates to retrieve products from designated locations, and delivers them back to the vehicle. This intermediary system allows customers to shop without physically entering the store, eliminating safety concerns while maintaining full product access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables customers to place orders through automated interfaces (mobile apps, drive-thru kiosks, or vehicle-mounted devices) without human assistance. The autonomous robot then independently executes the shopping task, navigating store aisles, locating products, and delivering items. This self-service approach removes the need for customers to interact with store employees or physically browse products, enhancing both safety and accessibility.
2Reliability
If customers remain in their vehicles for shopping, then safety and comfort are improved, but product retrieval efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical system of customer-driven product retrieval (customers physically walking to shelves) with an autonomous robotic system. The robot is equipped with sensors, navigation capabilities, and product identification systems that enable it to efficiently locate and retrieve products without human intervention. This substitution maintains high retrieval efficiency while allowing customers to remain safely in their vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system requires customers to pre-specify their product requests before the robot begins retrieval. Customers submit order lists through digital interfaces, allowing the robot to plan its navigation route in advance and efficiently gather all requested items in a single trip. This preliminary action optimizes the robot's path through the store, reducing retrieval time and maintaining productivity comparable to traditional shopping methods.
3Ease of operation
If autonomous vehicles and mobile devices are used for touch-less shopping, then shopping convenience is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous robot is designed as a multi-functional platform that handles multiple tasks: customer authentication, product order reception, navigation through the store, product location and retrieval, and delivery to the customer's vehicle. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single universal system, the patent reduces the need for separate specialized devices and interfaces, thereby managing complexity while maintaining convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a centralized control server as an intermediary that manages communication between customers' vehicles, the autonomous robots, and the store's inventory management system. This server handles order routing, robot assignment, navigation coordination, and payment processing, thereby simplifying the complexity distributed across multiple components and providing a unified interface for customers.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, devices, applications, and methods are provided herein useful to provide retrieval of products within a retail store and control a point of sale system to execute purchase of a product list in conjunction with a mobile device. A device control circuit of the mobile device is configured to receive a proposed product list from a respective customer; determine a suggested product list based on the proposed product list and a weighted average of a plurality of variables; determine a shopping route for the suggested product list, reduce the duration of the shopping route if possible, acquire payment from the respective customer for products on a final product list, and control the point of sale system to execute purchase of the products on the final product list on behalf of the respective customer.