US 11301880

Summary of U.S. Patent 11,301,880

This report provides a concise summary of U.S. Patent 11,301,880, including its title, assignee, inventors, key dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of its independent claims. The patent is currently active and has been the subject of multiple patent infringement lawsuits.

Title: Method and system for inventory management in a retail store

Assignee: The current assignee is listed as Alpha Modus Corp.

Inventors: Michael Garel, Jim Wang

Filing Date: April 1, 2020

Issue Date: April 12, 2022

Abstract:
The patent describes systems and methods for monitoring and analyzing consumer behavior in various settings, particularly in retail environments. The technology aims to analyze consumer purchasing behavior in real-time to increase sales through engaging digital customer experiences. The system can include features such as MAC address tracking, user eye tracking, and object identification of products on shelves. It also involves customer engagement through interactive displays that can provide demographic intelligence and automated assistance.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

U.S. Patent 11,301,880 contains three independent claims: claim 1 (a system), claim 15 (a method), and claim 28 (a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium).

Independent Claim 1 (System):
This claim describes a system for analyzing the behavior of people in a specific location, such as a retail store. The system is comprised of:

• A server.
• One or more "information monitoring devices" (like cameras or Wi-Fi sensors) that collect data.
• One or more databases to store the collected information.
• A set of software "modules" running on the server to process the data.

Crucially, the system must include both a "demographic intelligence module" (to determine characteristics like age and gender) and a "tracking module" (to follow a person's movement). The system links a person's demographic information with their movement patterns and analyzes this combined data in real-time. This allows the system to, for example, track a customer's path through a store and correlate it with their demographic profile.

Independent Claim 15 (Method):
This claim outlines a method for using the system described in claim 1. The steps of the method are:

• Using information monitoring devices to gather data about a person.
• The server then uses its various software modules, including at least a demographic intelligence module and a tracking module, to analyze this information.

Similar to the system claim, this method involves linking a person's demographic data with their tracking data and analyzing it in real-time to understand their behavior.

Independent Claim 28 (Computer-Readable Storage Medium):
This claim covers a physical product, specifically a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (like a hard drive or flash memory). This storage medium contains computer-executable instructions that, when run by a processor, will perform the method outlined in claim 15. In essence, this claim protects the software that enables the system and method of the other independent claims.

Litigation and Legal Status

As of early 2026, U.S. Patent 11,301,880, held by Alpha Modus Corp., has been asserted in multiple patent infringement lawsuits against various companies. These lawsuits allege that the defendants' in-store technologies for things like real-time inventory management, shopper analytics, and personalized advertising infringe on the claims of this patent.

For example, the patent was part of a lawsuit filed against Lowe's in October 2025, V-Count and Stratacache in November 2025, and H&M in December 2025. A case against Wakefern Food Corp. was voluntarily dismissed in early 2025. A lawsuit against Mood Media, LLC, filed in September 2025, was dismissed with prejudice in February 2026, suggesting a settlement or other resolution between the parties. More recently, Alpha Modus initiated a second phase of patent enforcement, including a lawsuit against Circle K in April 2026.

A search of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) 2026 dockets did not reveal any appeals specifically for cases involving U.S. Patent 11,301,880 at this time. The available information indicates the litigation has so far been at the U.S. District Court level.