Systems and a method for transporting smart shopping bags are provided herein. The system includes a plurality of drones, each of which is operable to travel to a plurality of designated locations to search for smart shopping bags. The smart shopping bags are configured to store goods for transport and are operable to store and wirelessly communicate user preferences, information related to stored goods, and one or more destinations for the goods. Upon finding a smart shopping bag, each of the drones is operable to query the smart shopping bag to determine whether the smart shopping bag is suitable for pickup by the drone. If the smart shopping bag is suitable for pickup, each of the drones is operable to transport the smart shopping bag toward a first one of the one or more destinations.

A computer-implemented method is provided for facilitating live communication between a potential customer and an enterprise in relation to a product. The method includes causing to display, by a computing device on a webpage over a communications network, an interactive banner located on the webpage that includes advertisement content related to the product. The advertisement content includes an offer to the potential customer to communicate live with the enterprise about the product. The method includes adding to the context information, by the computing device, information related to an interaction over the communications network between the potential customer and the interactive banner. The method further includes adjusting, by the computing device over the communications network, the advertisement content in the interactive banner on the webpage if the potential customer accepts the offer. The adjusted advertisement content includes one or more possible discussion topics related to the advertised product customized based on the context information.

A computerized system determines when a viewer is viewing a certain portion of an electronic document. Depending on the portion of the document being viewed, the system determines whether various agents are available to assist the viewer and provides options to the viewer for communicating with one or more of the agents.

Methods, systems, and computer program products for dispatching an incoming event are described. A scoring stack is accessed, the scoring stack comprising an identity of one or more tasks, each task corresponding to one or more scorable functions. A scorable tree is generated based on the one or more scorable functions corresponding to the one or more tasks of the scoring stack and the incoming event is processed using the scorable tree to generate one or more scores. One or more actions identified in the scorable tree are performed based on the one or more scores.

Systems and methods for controlling shelf display units and for graphically presenting information on shelf display units are disclosed. A system includes one or more display units configured to be coupled to shelves of a modular shelving system, one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more display units, one or more memory components communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory components. When executed by the one or more processors, the machine readable instructions cause the system to determine a product identifier corresponding to a product, identify one or more display units to update in response to determining the product identifier corresponding to the product, and update a graphical output of the one or more display units identified to be updated in response to identifying the one or more display units to update.

Methods and apparatuses are provided, some apparatuses comprise: a location controller separate from a motorized transport unit, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive communications from the motorized transport unit; a control circuit; a memory storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: obtain, from the communications, a unique light source identifier of a light source detected by the motorized transport unit, and relative distance information determined by the motorized transport unit through an optical measurement; process the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information relative to a mapping of the shopping facility; and determine, in response to the processing, a location of the motorized transport unit within the shopping facility as a function of the at least one unique light source identifier and the relative distance information.

Some embodiments provide a system comprising: multiple self-propelled motorized transport units; a wireless communication network; and a central computer comprising: a transceiver, a control circuit and a memory storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: receive a request from a customer requesting location information for a requested item; identify the requested item is a category of items, and identify category location information; communicate routing instructions to the motorized transport unit based on the category location information causing the motorized transport unit to initiate physical movement; and communicate to the motorized transport unit a species clarification inquiry instruction configured to cause the motorized transport unit, while implementing routing instructions to move toward the category location, to present a clarification inquiry to the customer seeking clarification in narrowing the identified category to one or more products categorized within the identified category.

An online system acts as a centralized, trusted intermediary in managing subscription products that a user of the online system has subscribed to. For example, a user may subscribe to receive a product from a variety of different third party systems. The user of the online system provides payment information and authorization information to the online system which stores them in association with a user profile belonging to the user of the online system. When a payment is required for a subscription product, the online system retrieves the payment information and verifies that the online system is authorized to provide a payment. Once verified, the online system provides a payment on behalf of the user to the third party system in exchange for provision of the subscription product to the user.

Methods and apparatuses are provided for use in monitor power levels at a shopping facility, comprising: central control system separate and distinct from a plurality of self-propelled motorized transport units, wherein the central control system comprises: a transceiver configured to wirelessly receive communications from the plurality of motorized transport units; a control circuit coupled with the transceiver; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that cause the control circuit to: identify available stored power levels at each of the plurality of motorized transport units; identify an available recharge station, of a plurality of recharge stations distributed throughout the shopping facility, at least relative to a location of the first motorized transport unit intended to be subjected to recharging; and wirelessly communicate one or more instructions to cause the first motorized transport unit to cooperate with an available recharge station.

Examples provide an authentication system for authorizing third-party pickup of items. An authentication controller obtains a user-generated token. The user-generated token is associated with an item to be picked up by a third-party user. The authentication controller creates a machine-generated token. The machine-generated token is transmitted to the third-party user. Upon receiving a request to pick up the item from the third-party user, the authentication controller compares tokens provided by the requesting third-party with the user-generated token and the machine-generated token. If the third-party provided tokens are valid, the requesting third-party is authorized to pick up the item and the request is accepted. The item is released to the authorized third-party requester. The item may be released via an item pickup kiosk or a locker system. If the tokens are invalid, the third-party request to pick up the item is rejected. A notification is sent to the user.