System and method for determination and management of root cause for inventory problems

US11501251B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Walmart Apollo, LLC · US

Inventors

• Greg A. Bryan · Centerton, US
• Cristy C. Brooks · Monett, US
• David Blair Brightwell · Bentonville, US
• Benjamin D. Enssle · Pleasant Valley, US
• Matthew A. Jones · Bentonville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 30, 2021
• Grant date: Nov 15, 2022
• Expiry date: Apr 30, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q40/12
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Scans of a selected product on shelves of a retail store are obtained and the scans are transmitted over a network via a transceiver circuit. A perpetual inventory (PI) value is stored for a selected product in a database. A data structure includes a first category and first actions programmatically linked to the first category. When the selected product is out-of-stock and when the PI value is greater than a predetermined threshold, one or more of the first actions associated with the first category are performed.