A receptacle for detecting delivery and retrieval events has a door sensor, an item sensor, a scanner, and a control unit for operating the sensors, and transmitting the sensor information for processing and analysis. A system can determine whether an event was a delivery or retrieval event based on sensor information and item tracking information. A system can further include an item configured to interact with a computing device.

Systems and methods for enhancing trainable optical character recognition (OCR) performance are disclosed herein. An example method includes receiving, at an application executing on a user computing device communicatively coupled to a machine vision camera, an image captured by the machine vision camera, the image including an indicia encoding a payload and a character string. The example method also includes identifying the indicia and the character string; decoding the indicia to determine the payload; and applying an optical character recognition (OCR) algorithm to the image to interpret the character string and identify an unrecognized character within the character string. The example method also includes comparing the payload to the character string to validate the unrecognized character as corresponding to a known character included within the payload; and responsive to validating the unrecognized character, adding the unrecognized character to a font library referenced by the OCR algorithm.

In some implementations, a device may receive data identifying products and encoded data identifying smart tags of the products. The device may map the data and the encoded data to generate encoded product data. The device may receive encoded data provided by smart tags of products received by a store. The device may receive images of the products. The device may compare the encoded data and the encoded product data to identify a set of the products received by the store. The device may correlate the images with the set of the products. The device may process the correlated data to identify locations of the set of the products in the store. The device may generate an instruction to relocate a product to a new location and may provide the instruction to a device, associated with the store, to cause the product to be relocated to the new location.

A system providing self-service access to locked merchandise comprising: (a) providing a fixture that restricts access to the locked merchandise, wherein the fixture can automatically lock or unlock, allowing or restricting access to the locked merchandise; (b) providing a means of uniquely identifying an individual attempting to access the merchandise; (c) measuring a set of behaviors of the individual during any time the fixture is an open mode; (d) assessing whether the set of behaviors of the individual are suspicious or not relative to a set of suspicious event thresholds; (e) storing the individual and their set of behaviors as accessible records in at least one database; and (f) providing an algorithm which determines future access privileges of the individual to the enclosure based on a set of variables.

A counterfeit paper currency detector with a barcode reading function includes a casing unit receiving a delivering device, a driving device, a paper currency detection device, and a barcode reading device. The delivering device includes a passageway between an upper base and a lower base. The driving device drives a paper currency or a barcode sheet to pass through the passageway. When a paper currency passes through the passageway, a plurality of first paper currency detection units and a plurality of second paper currency detection units of the paper currency detection device examine whether the paper currency is genuine. When a barcode sheet passes through the passageway, a first reading module or a second reading module of the barcode reading device reads widths and spaces of a plurality of bars on the barcode sheet.

A portable tracking device including a substantially rectangular base unit. A display screen, a video camera, a keypad, a pair of lights, an activation control, a video control, a bar code scanner, and a camera control are disposed on the base unit. The pair of lights includes a first light and a second light. The bar code scanner is configured to scan the barcode of each of a plurality of tags. The first light of the pair of lights is configured to activate when a user scans the barcode of one of the plurality of tags a first time. The first light of the pair of lights is configured to deactivate and the second light of the pair of lights is configured to simultaneously activate when the user scans the barcode of one of the plurality of tags a second time.

In an example implementation, a smart cart system may include a cart including a frame and an item holder supported by the frame and configured to transition between an open position and a storage position that is more compact than the open position. The smart cart system may include a motivator configured to provide a motive force to the cart, a power source coupled with the motivator, and a charging interface attached to the frame of the cart and that interacts with a cart charging system of a cart storage rack to charge the power source. The smart cart system may also include a user interface device, a computing device, and a smart cart controller operable on the computing device to receive information describing an attribute of an item and provide information describing the attribute of the item for presentation by the user interface device.

An adhesive-backed label having a plurality of adhesive-backed label portions, each of the adhesive-backed label portions comprising an instance of an identifying indicia, whereby one or more of the plurality of adhesive-backed label portions is applied to at least one collected sample so that the identifying indicia on the adhesive-backed label portion on the collected sample corresponds to the identifying indicia on at least one of the adhesive-backed label portions that remains on the adhesive-backed label, at least one of the adhesive-backed label portions on the adhesive-backed label also comprising a field configured to receive additional identifying indicia.

Systems and methods of processing items. Items in a distribution network or process may be scanned at every handling point in the distribution network, and each scan is recorded in a central repository. The scan information can be used to generate real-time access to data, analytical tools, predictive tools, and tracking reports.

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to verify accuracy of a shipment. In some embodiments, items loaded to and/or unloaded from a delivery vehicle are scanned and compared to a delivery schedule, and a unique identifier is provided to confirm proper loading/unloading at a subsequent scheduled stop of the vehicle.