IP Verse

Method And System For Generating A Layout For Placement Of Products In A Retail Store

Patent No. US11049120 (titled "Method And System For Generating A Layout For Placement Of Products In A Retail Store") was filed by Alpha Modus Corp on Apr 1, 2020.

What is this patent about?

’120 is related to the field of retail analytics, specifically systems and methods for monitoring and analyzing consumer behavior in physical retail environments. The background acknowledges the challenges faced by brick-and-mortar stores in competing with online retailers, particularly the issue of showrooming and the need to provide personalized and engaging customer experiences.

The underlying idea behind ’120 is to leverage in-store data collection and analysis to understand customer behavior in real-time and use this information to influence purchasing decisions. This involves using various sensors and tracking technologies to gather data on customer demographics, movement, product interactions, and preferences, then using this data to personalize the shopping experience and optimize store layout.

The claims of ’120 focus on a method that involves using information monitoring devices to gather data about shopping activities of people in a retail store. This includes gathering traffic information, product interaction information, and object identification information. The gathered information is then analyzed to generate a layout analysis, which is used to modify the store's product layout.

In practice, the system uses a combination of video image devices , such as cameras, to track customer movement, identify product interactions (viewing, picking up, carrying), and recognize the specific products being handled. This data is then processed to create a layout analysis, which informs decisions about how to optimize product placement within the store. For example, if the analysis reveals that customers frequently pick up a particular product but don't purchase it, the layout might be adjusted to place complementary items nearby or improve product visibility.

This approach differentiates itself from traditional retail analytics, which primarily relies on point-of-sale (POS) data and after-the-fact analysis. By capturing data in real-time and analyzing customer behavior before the point of purchase, the system provides retailers with a more granular and actionable understanding of customer preferences and shopping patterns. The use of object identification and traffic analysis together allows for a more comprehensive picture of the customer journey and enables more effective interventions to drive sales.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the early 2010s when ’120 was filed, systems commonly relied on point-of-sale (POS) data to understand consumer purchasing behavior, at a time when brick-and-mortar retailers were challenged to provide richer experiences than online retailers. At that time, methods to determine consumer behavior prior to POS were limited to focus groups, traffic counting devices, surveys, employee feedback, and shopper shadows, when hardware or software constraints made real-time analysis of in-store customer behavior non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner approved the application because the prior art, specifically Monaco et al. in view of Sharma et al. and Meyer et al., failed to teach or suggest gathering product interaction information based on the types of interactions persons had with products in a retail store. These interactions include viewing, picking up, or carrying products, and gathering object identification information. The prior art also failed to teach analyzing this information to generate a layout analysis comprising tracking, product interaction, and object identification information, and then using this analysis to modify the store layout.

Claims

This patent contains 17 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a method of gathering information about shopping activities in a retail store using monitoring devices, analyzing that information to generate a layout analysis, and then utilizing the analysis to modify the store's product layout. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and provide specific details or limitations to the method described in the independent claim, such as moving products, using diagrams, increasing sales, utilizing the layout in other stores, positioning products on shelves, using servers and databases, using receivers to track people, tracking eye movements, identifying information monitoring devices, and gathering demographic or sentiment characteristics.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Information monitoring devices
(Claim 1)		“The disclosed system includes a retail store system that features and can include MAC address tracking, user eye tracking, object identification of goods on shelves, APIs, and an advertising broker rules engine. Further, the system generally includes one or more (and typically most) of cloud services, computing devices, user input and output devices, POS devices, local servers, cameras and sensors, WIFI devices, in-store customer devices, and output devices.”Devices used to collect data about shopping activities of people in a retail store. These devices are connected to a server and/or databases and include video image devices.
Layout analysis
(Claim 1)		“A challenge the retail industry currently faces is the lack of consumer purchasing data prior to the sale. At present, the only methods in use to determine consumer behavior prior to POS are focus groups, traffic counting devices, surveys, feedback from employees, and shopper shadows. None of these methods provides the retailer with a fraction of the information that could be used to determine effectiveness of store layout, inventory management, merchandising, at-shelf promotion, sales team positioning, and product feedback to the manufacturer/merchandizer.”An analysis generated from tracking information, product interaction information, and object identification information to understand shopping activities and optimize product placement.
Object identification information
(Claim 1)		“The disclosed system includes a retail store system that features and can include MAC address tracking, user eye tracking, object identification of goods on shelves, APIs, and an advertising broker rules engine. The system can be operable to determine what product within the retail store the customer is viewing.”Data identifying the specific products that people interact with during their shopping activities.
Product interaction information
(Claim 1)		“The present system offers a variety of added benefits, but at the core, the system's goal is to provide pertinent product information and reviews for the customer. It is because of this lack of information that 60% of showrooming customers choose to buy elsewhere. Without addressing this impediment effectively, then the supplementary benefits become futile.”Data about the types of interactions people have with products in a retail store, such as viewing, picking up, or carrying products.
Traffic information
(Claim 1)		“Pre-defined reports are automatically generated to help the retailer understand traffic patterns and customer behavior. By tracking in-store traffic, the present system can identify most popular shopping times for certain products. Demographic information, traffic, and heat mapping can all be achieved at a shelf level, adding another level of depth to the retailer's business intelligence.”Data related to the movement of people within and around a retail store, including tracking their movement relative to monitoring devices, identifying stops they make, and tracking the position and duration of those stops.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-11234Nov 21, 2025Alpha Modus, Corp. v. Stratacache, Inc.
2:25-cv-01145Nov 21, 2025Alpha Modus, Corp. v. V-Count Global Holding, Ltd.
2:25-cv-00977Sep 24, 2025Alpha Modus, Corp. v. RetailNext Inc.

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US11049120

ALPHA MODUS CORP
Application Number
US16837577
Filing Date
Apr 1, 2020
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Jul 18, 2034
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents