Target was granted a patent for coordinating drive-up returns.

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  "signal_subtype": "patentGrant",
  "detected_at": "2026-10-30T00:37:40+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "Target",
    "domain": "target.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "cpc": [
      {
        "code": "G06Q 30/016",
        "label": "Data processing systems for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes"
      }
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Intellectual Property",
      "Research & Development",
      "Retail / Store Systems",
      "Mobile Applications",
      "Customer Experience"
    ],
    "detail": "In October 2026 Target patented a customer-return workflow for retail stores that lets shoppers signal arrival and helps employees prepare orders at the curb.",
    "summary": "Target was granted a patent for coordinating drive-up returns.",
    "event_at": "2026-10-27",
    "inventors": [
      {
        "name": "Brett Friesen",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": true,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettfriesen"
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      {
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        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-pickett-2305052b"
      },
      {
        "name": "Mithun Ravindranath",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
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      {
        "name": "Alec Bakke",
        "status": "resolved",
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        "name": "Nicole M. Beckstead",
        "status": "unresolved",
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    "tech_area": "business methods / CRM / fintech",
    "event_kind": "grant_date",
    "grant_date": "2026-10-27",
    "source_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12775955",
    "cpc_primary": {
      "code": "G06Q 30/016",
      "label": "Data processing systems for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes"
    },
    "patent_title": "Systems and methods for facilitating coordination of drive-up returns",
    "patent_number": "US12775955",
    "uspto_assignee": "Target Brands, Inc.",
    "patent_abstract": "Disclosed are techniques for providing drive-up returns at a retail environment. A method includes receiving, from a customer device, selection of an item to return as a drive-up return, receiving, from the customer device, user input at a later time indicating that a customer associated with the device is on their way to the retail environment, populating a data file with information about the item to return and the customer, including the customer's current location, transmitting, to an employee device, the data file that causes the employee device to display a first graphical user interface (GUI) including a list of drive-up returns for arriving customers, receiving, from the employee device, selection of a control to handle the return for the customer, receiving, from the customer device, user input indicating the customer arrived, and providing, to the employee device, instructions to display a second GUI for performing the drive-up return.",
    "precision_class": "structural",
    "invention_explanation": "A system that collects the return item, customer, and live location details so store staff can organize a handoff when the customer arrives.",
    "technologies_mentioned": [
      "retail returns",
      "location tracking",
      "customer mobile apps",
      "store operations"
    ]
  }
}

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curl -X POST https://signals.autobound.ai/v1/companies/enrich \
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  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain":"target.com","limit":20}'