Retail inventory management services through personal mobile devices

US9830573B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• WAL-MART STORES, INC. · US

Inventors

• Zulfiqar Ali Paracha · Rogers, US
• Aaron Santavicca · Bentonville, US
• Josh Osmon · Bentonville, US
• Doyle Reece · Bentonville, US
• Kishore Kumar Konate · Bentonville, US
• Vidanage Prabuddha Mangala Chandrasiri · Bentonville, US
• Mahesh Sundar Thangaraj · Centerton, US
• Jie Ouyang · Longbeilingcun, CN
• Kevin E. Hill · Milwaukee, US
• Michael Shawn McGuire · Bentonville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 16, 2013
• Grant date: Nov 28, 2017
• Expiry date: May 21, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/087
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing retailer controllable access to consolidated inventory management services through a retail worker's personal smartphone. The system—operable largely within and through the retailer's private computing network—comprises data nodes, an enterprise service bus, and a device application. Inventory-related data is kept in the data nodes, with access thereto from suitably provisioned personal mobile devices moderated by the enterprise service bus pursuant to policies and parameters defined by the retailer. Provisioning the personal mobile device involves installation thereon of the device application. The device application launches a user interface for accessing the data nodes through the enterprise service bus, thus enabling the use on the worker's personal mobile device of retailer-specific, job-related inventory management tools.