Systems, devices and methods for determining item availability in a shopping space

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determining item availability are provided. A computer implemented method for determining item availability in a shopping space comprising: receiving a request for an item for purchase from a customer, querying an inventory database to determine whether the item for purchase is in stock, in an event that the item for purchase is not in stock according to the inventory database: determining an out of stock response to present to the customer, in an event that the item for purchase is in stock according the inventory database: instructing a motorized transport unit to travel to a display space in the shopping space corresponding to the item for the purchase, determining whether the item is available in the display space based on information captured by one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit, and in an event that the item for purchase is not available in the display space: determining an item unavailable response to present to the customer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method for determining item availability in a shopping space comprising:
 receiving, at a control circuit, a request for an item for purchase from a customer;   determining via the control circuit and by querying, via the control circuit, an inventory database, that the item for purchase is in stock;   causing, via the control circuit, the motorized transport unit to travel to a display space in the shopping space where the item is stocked;   capturing, via one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit, at least a portion of the display space;   based on the capturing step, determining, via the control circuit, that the item is available in the display space; and   based on the determining via the control circuit that the item is available in the display space, causing, via the control circuit, the motorized transport unit to output a notification to the customer that the item is available in the display space.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request for the item for purchase comprises one or more of: a verbal command issued to the motorized transport unit, a shopping list entered at a user interface device, and an item selected through the user interface device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information captured by the one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit comprises one or more: an image of the display space, a three dimensional scan of the display space, a barcode scan, a radio frequency identification (RFID) scan, and an environmental temperature of the display space. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the item is available in the display space is based one or more of: a presence of the item, an appearance of the item, an expiration date of the item, an appearance of the display space, and a storage environment of the item. 
     
     
         5 . A system for determining item availability in a shopping space comprising:
 a communication device configured to communicate with a motorized transport unit;   an inventory database storing inventory information of a plurality of items available for purchase in the shopping space; and   a control circuit coupled to the communication device and the inventory database, the control circuit being configured to:   receive a request for an item for purchase from a customer;   query the inventory database to determine whether the item for purchase is in stock;   in an event that the item for purchase is in stock according the inventory database:   instruct the motorized transport unit to travel to a display space where the item is stocked;   determine whether the item is available in the display space based on information captured by one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit; and   based on a determination by the control circuit that the item is available in the display space, instruct the motorized transport unit to output a notification to the customer that the item is available in the display space.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the request for the item for purchase comprises one or more of: a verbal command issued to the motorized transport unit, a shopping list entered at a user interface device, and an item selected through the user interface device. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the information captured by the one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit comprises one or more: an image of the display space, a three dimensional scan of the display space, a barcode scan, a radio frequency identification (RFID) scan, an appearance of the item for purchase, and an environmental temperature of the display space. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the determination that the item is available in the display space is based one or more of: a presence of the item, an appearance of the item, an expiration date of the item, an appearance of the display space, and a storage environment of the item. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for determining item availability in a shopping space comprising:
 a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a central computer system;   a motorized wheel system;   a user interface device;   a sensor;   a control circuit coupled to the wireless transceiver, the motorized wheel system, the user interface device, and the sensor, the control circuit being configured to:   receive a request for an item for purchase from a customer via the user interface device;   forward the request for the item to the central computer system;   in an event that the item for purchase is in stock according the inventory database:   cause the motorized wheel system to ravel to a display space in the shopping space corresponding to the item in the shopping space using the motorized wheel system;   collect information relating whether the item is available in the display space using the sensor;   transmit the information to the central computer system; and   based on a determination that the item is available in the display space, output a notification via the user interface device to the customer that the item is available in the display space.