Cart-based shopping arrangements employing probabilistic item identification

US11288472B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Digimarc Corporation · US

Inventors

• Tony F. Rodriguez · Portland, US
• Bruce L. Davis · Lake Oswego, US
• Geoffrey B. Rhoads · West Linn, US
• Alastair M. Reed · Lake Oswego, US
• Eric D. Evans · Portland, US
• Rebecca L. Gerlach · Beaverton, US
• John Stach · Tualatin, US
• Marc G. Footen · Portland, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 6, 2021
• Grant date: Mar 29, 2022
• Expiry date: Jan 6, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G09G2380/06
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In one aspect, a retail store has multiple sensors, including item sensors in a shopping cart for gathering data from a shopper-selected first item. At least certain of the sensor data is provided to a classifier, which was previously-trained (using data including optical data from known items) to identify possible item matches corresponding to data sensed from the first item. An item identification hypothesis that the shopper-selected first item has a particular identity is evaluated based on (a) information from the classifier, and (b) store layout data indicating items associated with a store location visited by the cart or shopper. The item identification hypothesis has a confidence score. If the score meets a criterion, an item of the hypothesized identity is added to a shopping tally. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.