Shopping facility assistance systems, devices, and methods to facilitate returning items to their respective departments

Abstract

A central computer system directs a motorized transport unit through a retail shopping facility to a particular mobile item container having at least one item disposed therein, that item being designated for return to a particular department within the retail shopping facility such that this item can then again be presented for sale. After causing that motorized transport unit to physically attach to this mobile item container, the central computer system then directs that motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the one or more departments to which the item or items are to be so returned.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of motorized transport units configured to move through a retail shopping facility that is organized as a plurality of departments that present corresponding items for sale;   a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with the plurality of motorized transport units and wherein the central computer system is configured to:   identify that a particular mobile item container within the retail shopping facility has been abandoned by a customer who left the retail shopping facility without purchasing any items in the particular mobile item container;   direct a particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility to the particular mobile item wherein at least one item is designated for return to a particular one of the plurality of departments such that the at least one item can then be presented for sale;   cause the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to physically attach to the particular mobile item container; and   direct, via a wireless network connection, the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the mobile item container comprises a retail-store shopping cart. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the central computer system is further configured to:
 receive information that identifies at least some of the items in the particular mobile item container; and 
 determine the particular one of the plurality of departments as a function of the information that identifies the items in the particular mobile item container. 
 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the central computer system is further configured to:
 determine that there are items in the particular mobile item container that should be directed to at least two different ones of the plurality of departments. 
 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the central computer system directs the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached unattended mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments by directing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to each of the at least two different ones of the plurality of departments. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the central computer system directs the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to each of the at least two different ones of the plurality of departments by selecting an efficient order of visitation. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the central computer system directs the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments by first confirming that at least one associate will be available in the particular one of the plurality of departments to remove corresponding items from the particular mobile item container for that department when the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units arrives with the particular mobile item container. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the central computer system is further configured to:
 determine which items are removed from the particular mobile item container at the particular one of the plurality of departments; 
 use the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to alert an associate upon detecting an error with respect to removing items from the particular mobile item container at the particular one of the plurality of departments. 
 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising:
 by a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with a plurality of motorized transport units that are configured to move through a retail shopping facility that is organized as a plurality of departments that present corresponding items for sale:
 identifying that a particular mobile item container within the retail shopping facility has been abandoned by a customer who left the retail shopping facility without purchasing any items in the particular mobile item container; 
 directing a particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility to the particular mobile item container wherein at least one item is designated for return to a particular one of the plurality of departments such that the at least one item can then be presented for sale; 
 causing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to physically attach to the particular mobile item container; and 
 directing, via a wireless network connection, the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the mobile item container comprises a retail-store shopping cart. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 receiving information that identifies the items in the particular mobile item container; and 
 determining the particular one of the plurality of departments as a function of the information that identifies the items in the particular mobile item container. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 determining that there are items in the particular mobile item container that should be directed to at least two different ones of the plurality of departments. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein directing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached unattended mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments comprises directing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to each of the at least two different ones of the plurality of departments. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein directing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to each of the at least two different ones of the plurality of departments comprises selecting an efficient order of visitation. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9  wherein directing the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the particular one of the plurality of departments includes first confirming that at least one associate will be available in the particular one of the plurality of departments to remove corresponding items from the particular mobile item container for that department when the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units arrives with the particular mobile item container. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 determining which items are removed from the particular mobile item container at the particular one of the plurality of departments; 
 using the particular one of the plurality of motorized transport units to alert an associate upon detecting an error with respect to removing items from the particular mobile item container at the particular one of the plurality of departments.