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TargetPatent grant

Target was granted a patent for shelf-mounted retail imaging.

What happened

In September 2026 Target patented a distributed camera system for monitoring product availability and restocking needs across retail store shelves.

Source

patents.google.comSep 29, 2026

US patent US12745866

Shelf-mountable imaging system

Abstract

An imaging system capture images of products on shelves in a minimally invasive way. The images can be processed to assess restocking needs and other information. The imaging system includes multiple shelf-mountable imaging devices that can be positioned throughout one or more retail locations. Certain types of imaging devices may be self-contained units having replaceable or rechargeable internal power sources and/or wireless communication interfaces. Certain types of imaging device are configured to take images only when the field of view is not blocked by traffic (e.g., consumers, employees, etc.). Certain types of imaging devices are low-profile and/or are camouflageable to enhance the user experience.

patents.google.com/patent/US12745866Read the full source

Extracted by Autobound

From the Signal API record
Signal
Patent grant

What this signalsA new patent often shows where a company is putting its R&D budget.

Grant date
Sep 29, 2026
Inventors
4
Patent number
US12745866
Assignee
Target Brands, Inc.

The full record

From the Signal API record

People

  • Anup Jayapal RaoInventor
  • Sunay NarkarInventor
  • Karthik RajuInventor
  • Sanjay BhokseInventor
  • Sandeep TammanaInventor
  • Abby P JobyInventor

Details

Primary CPC class
A47F 10/02
USPTO assignee
Target Brands, Inc.
What the invention does
Small, wirelessly connected cameras attach to shelves, capture product images, and help determine when merchandise needs replenishing.

Topics and mentions

Tags

  • Intellectual Property
  • Research & Development
  • Retail / Store Systems
  • Inventory Management
  • IoT

Technologies named

  • retail imaging
  • computer vision
  • wireless cameras
  • inventory monitoring

Extraction

Detected
Sep 30, 2026
signal_type
patents-company
signal_subtype
patentGrant

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The API returns more than this page shows

This page shows a preview. The full patents-company record in the Signal API and MCP can also have these 8 fields. Some fields are empty for some signals.

Company

  • linkedin_urlValue in the API
  • industriesValue in the API
  • employee_count_lowValue in the API
  • employee_count_highValue in the API
  • revenueValue in the API
  • descriptionValue in the API

Signal

  • signal_nameValue in the API
  • associationValue in the API
Show the full JSONThe record on this page and the API request

GET /v1/signals/a66b0dcc-4ab4-5d2c-a4a5-4c3d9e28c667 returns this record as JSON. POST /v1/companies/enrich returns every signal for target.com.

{
  "signal_id": "a66b0dcc-4ab4-5d2c-a4a5-4c3d9e28c667",
  "signal_type": "patents-company",
  "signal_subtype": "patentGrant",
  "detected_at": "2026-09-30T16:41:31+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "Target",
    "domain": "target.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "cpc": [
      {
        "code": "A47F 10/02"
      },
      {
        "code": "G06F 1/3246",
        "label": "Electric digital data processing"
      },
      {
        "code": "G06F 1/325",
        "label": "Electric digital data processing"
      },
      {
        "code": "G06K 17/0022"
      },
      {
        "code": "G06Q 20/203",
        "label": "Data processing systems for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes"
      }
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Intellectual Property",
      "Research & Development",
      "Retail / Store Systems",
      "Inventory Management",
      "IoT"
    ],
    "detail": "In September 2026 Target patented a distributed camera system for monitoring product availability and restocking needs across retail store shelves.",
    "summary": "Target was granted a patent for shelf-mounted retail imaging.",
    "event_at": "2026-09-29",
    "inventors": [
      {
        "name": "Anup Jayapal Rao",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": true,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuprao"
      },
      {
        "name": "Sunay Narkar",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
      },
      {
        "name": "Karthik Raju",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
      },
      {
        "name": "Sanjay Bhokse",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjay-bhokse"
      },
      {
        "name": "Sandeep Tammana",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
      },
      {
        "name": "Abby P Joby",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbypjoby"
      },
      {
        "name": "Hithyshi M",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/hithyshi-m"
      },
      {
        "name": "Kurmanadharao Valla",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
      }
    ],
    "event_kind": "grant_date",
    "grant_date": "2026-09-29",
    "source_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12745866",
    "cpc_primary": {
      "code": "A47F 10/02"
    },
    "patent_title": "Shelf-mountable imaging system",
    "patent_number": "US12745866",
    "uspto_assignee": "Target Brands, Inc.",
    "patent_abstract": "An imaging system capture images of products on shelves in a minimally invasive way. The images can be processed to assess restocking needs and other information. The imaging system includes multiple shelf-mountable imaging devices that can be positioned throughout one or more retail locations. Certain types of imaging devices may be self-contained units having replaceable or rechargeable internal power sources and/or wireless communication interfaces. Certain types of imaging device are configured to take images only when the field of view is not blocked by traffic (e.g., consumers, employees, etc.). Certain types of imaging devices are low-profile and/or are camouflageable to enhance the user experience.",
    "precision_class": "structural",
    "invention_explanation": "Small, wirelessly connected cameras attach to shelves, capture product images, and help determine when merchandise needs replenishing.",
    "technologies_mentioned": [
      "retail imaging",
      "computer vision",
      "wireless cameras",
      "inventory monitoring"
    ]
  }
}

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