Smart Shopping Cart with Preference Matching and Automatic Alerting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users face inconvenience and poor shopping experiences due to the need to manually check tags for shelf life and composition information of commodities, especially for those with preferences, such as remaining shelf life, taste, and composition, which is labor-consuming and difficult for parents with children or the aged with poor eyesight.

Innovation Solution

A shopping cart equipped with a user information acquisition component, a commodity information acquisition component, and a controller that analyzes key information of commodities against user preferences, automatically prompting users through alarm lamps, audio, display panels, or messages when there is a mismatch, eliminating the need for manual tag checking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If users manually check tags for shelf life and composition information, then they can obtain commodity information, but the shopping process becomes labor-consuming and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommodity informationVSAvoidshopping time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The shopping cart system performs automatic commodity information acquisition and matching without user intervention. The controller automatically scans commodity codes, retrieves information, compares with user preferences, and provides alerts, making the system serve itself rather than requiring manual user checking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of reading tags is replaced by an automated electronic system using scanning devices, processors, and display components. The system substitutes human visual inspection and manual comparison with electronic information acquisition and automated matching algorithms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If users manually check commodity tags, then they can identify preferred commodities, but the operation becomes complex and difficult especially for those with vision impairments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommodity selectionVSAvoidchecking process
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs the complex matching operation automatically without requiring user involvement in the comparison process. The controller handles all information processing and alert generation, making the complex task invisible to the user and simplifying the interaction to simple alert recognition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If the shopping cart provides automated commodity information analysis, then user convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshopping processVSAvoidshopping cart system
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shopping cart system integrates multiple functions including information acquisition, data processing, preference matching, and alert generation into a single multi-functional device. This allows the system to provide comprehensive automated services while consolidating components rather than adding separate devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The controller acts as an intermediary component that coordinates between the scanning device, information storage, and display/alert mechanisms. This mediator approach organizes the complex system into manageable functional blocks, making the overall complexity more controllable and maintainable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3470299B1Shopping cart and prompting method and device for shopping cart
Publication Date: 2024.04.17 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD
  • EP3470299B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3470299B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3470299B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a shopping cart and a prompting method and device for a shopping cart. The shopping cart includes: a body (1); a user information acquisition component (12), connected with the body and configured to acquire commodity preference information of a user; a commodity information acquisition component (13), connected with the body and configured to acquire key information of the commodity; and a controller, connected with the body, the user information acquisition component and the commodity information acquisition component respectively and configured to, when the key information of the commodity is mismatched with the commodity preference information, perform a prompting operation corresponding to the commodity, wherein the prompting operation is configured to prompt the user that the commodity is inconsistent with commodity preference indicated by the commodity preference information. According to the present invention, the user may be automatically prompted that the commodity is inconsistent with commodity preference indicated by the commodity preference information, and the user is not required to manually check a tag of the commodity, so that intelligence in checking of commodity information is achieved, the user may conveniently select the commodity, and a user experience is improved.