A food item system may include a remote device associated with a given shopper and a weight sensor associated with a food product display that includes food items. The food item system may also include a food item processing server configured to add at least one user selected food item from among the food items to a virtual shopping cart associated with the given shopper based upon proximity of the remote device to the food product display and a change in weight from the weight sensor indicative that the at least one user selected food item has been removed from the food product display. The food item processing server may also be configured to communicate the virtual shopping cart of the given shopper for checkout.

A commodity management system includes a cart including a wireless tag reader/writer configured to read first information from first wireless tags attached to commodities displayed in a store and second information from second wireless tags each disposed in a different display area in the store, and a commodity management apparatus configured to acquire the first and second information read by the wireless tag reader/writer, determine a display area in the store using the acquired second information, and specify a quantity of a commodity displayed in the determined display area based on the acquired first information.

A stackable handcart includes a cart frame, a display, and a restriction member. The cart frame includes a receiving portion on which a shopping basket is placeable and a front end portion that abuts a first stackable handcart when the stackable handcart is stacked with the first stackable handcart from behind the first stackable handcart. The display is attached to the cart frame. The restriction member is attached to the cart frame at a position to abut a front end portion of a second stackable handcart when the second stackable handcart is stacked with the stackable handcart from behind the stackable handcart. The restriction member is positioned such that a display of the second stackable handcart does not abut the display of the stackable handcart when the front end portion of the second stackable handcart abuts the restriction member.

A security bin formed from a commercially available rectangular plastic bin having removable lids that are secured to the bin to prevent unauthorized access to the items placed therein. The lids are locked with a tamperproof flap and latching hook to prevent access to the bin contents. Plexiglass windows allow viewing of materials placed within the bin. Spring pins allow ease of lid movement for access to the bin contents, or allow removal of the windows to allow stacking for storage and shipping. An optional scanner can be mounted to one of the lids for recording and tracking of storage media placed within the bin.

Physical shopping carts can have product detection systems and associate physical shopping carts with mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones, tablet computing devices, smart watches, wearable computing devices). For example, physical shopping carts can be equipped with one or more product detection systems (e.g., scanners, sensors, cameras) that can electronically tally products that are placed in physical shopping carts. Mobile computing devices can be associated with and mounted on the physical shopping carts to provide a variety of enhanced shopping cart features not possible with conventional physical shopping carts, such as electronically tracking the contents of a shopping cart, checking-out from the mobile computing device (instead of at conventional check-out areas, such as point of sale terminals), and others.

This invention offers a new hands-free electric powered utility cart, that is controlled by voice commands from the user, and by the cart detecting and tracking an electronic device or chip that a user simply carries or attaches to his or her garments.

Once the cart is powered-on, the user speaks voice commands such as “CART, FOLLOW ME” and the cart will follow approximately three feet behind the user wherever they walk. When the user wants the cart to stop, they can either stop walking, or use a voice command such as “CART, STOP”. The user can voice additional relevant commands such as “CART, FOLLOW TO MY RIGHT, or LEFT”, in order to control the cart's mode of operation.

All kinds of carrying baskets tailored to specific uses such as for beach, shopping, tools, golf equipment, and even a baby carriage are fitted to the cart's standardized chassis.

Provided herein are aspects of a shopping device and system. In one embodiment, a shopping device includes a weight measurement device configured to weigh products placed thereon; a product interface configured to receive product identifiers; and a controller configured to communicate with a remote database and determine that a product identifier received by the product interface corresponds to a first product placed on the weight measurement device, determine a cost of the first product placed on the weight measurement device, and calculate a cumulative weight and cumulative cost of the first product with one or more products placed on the weight measurement device. Embodiments of a shopping system may also include a product carrying device and a user interface, wherein the user interface may include a visual display, an input interface, and a payment interface.

A stackable handcart includes a cart frame, a display, and a restriction member. The cart frame includes a receiving portion on which a shopping basket is placeable and a front end portion that abuts a first stackable handcart when the stackable handcart is stacked with the first stackable handcart from behind the first stackable handcart. The display is attached to the cart frame. The restriction member is attached to the cart frame at a position to abut a front end portion of a second stackable handcart when the second stackable handcart is stacked with the stackable handcart from behind the stackable handcart. The restriction member is positioned such that a display of the second stackable handcart does not abut the display of the stackable handcart when the front end portion of the second stackable handcart abuts the restriction member.

A system for monitoring shopping carts uses cameras to generate images of the carts moving in a store. In some implementations, cameras may additionally or alternatively be mounted to the shopping carts and configured to image cart contents. The system may use the collected image data, and/or other types of sensor data (such as the store location at which an item was added to the basket), to classify items detected in the shopping carts. For example, a trained machine learning model may classify item in a cart as “non-merchandise,” “high theft risk merchandise,” “electronics merchandise,” etc. When a shopping cart approaches a store exit without any indication of an associated payment transaction, the system may use the associated item classification data, optionally in combination with other data such as cart path data, to determine whether to execute an anti-theft action, such as locking a cart wheel or activating a store alarm. The system may also compare the classifications of cart contents to payment transaction records (or summaries thereof) to, e.g., detect underpayment events.

Examples of systems and methods for locating movable objects such as carts (e.g., shopping carts) are disclosed. Such systems and methods can use dead reckoning techniques to estimate the current position of the movable object. Various techniques for improving accuracy of position estimates are disclosed, including compensation for various error sources involving the use of magnetometer and accelerometer, and using vibration analysis to derive wheel rotation rates. Various techniques utilize characteristics of the operating environment in conjunction with or in lieu of dead reckoning techniques, including characteristic of environment such as ground texture, availability of signals from radio frequency (RF) transmitters including precision fix sources. Navigation techniques can include navigation history and backtracking, motion direction detection for dual swivel casters, use of gyroscopes, determining cart weight, multi-level navigation, multi-level magnetic measurements, use of lighting signatures, use of multiple navigation systems, or hard/soft iron compensation for different cart configurations.